McDonald's is working on eliminating the plastic toys in its Happy Meals while keeping the fun.
McDonald's has committed to completely removing plastic from its Happy Meal toys by 2025. The current slate of toys will be replaced by sustainably sourced materials, according to a press release.
"Our next generation of customers care deeply about protecting the planet and what we can do to help make our business more sustainable. We’re always exploring where we can drive greater impact, including the transformation of beloved icons like the Happy Meal," Jenny McColloch, McDonald's Chief Sustainability Officer said in a press release.
Measured against statistics from 2018, this move by McDonald's will result in a 90% reduction in virgin fossil-fuel-based plastic by the business. Shifts in production in Europe have already shown significant reduction, according to a press release.
"With this transition for our toys, we’re working closely with suppliers, families, and play experts and engineers to introduce more sustainable, innovative designs and help drive demand for recycled materials, to keep McDonald’s communities and beyond smiling for generations to come," McColloch said.
The Happy Meal was launched by McDonald's in 1979.
The new Happy Meal toys will "continue to enable interactive play" and will include games and crafts instead of plastic toys.
"In some cases, fan-favorite movie characters that used to be plastic figurines may reappear as 3D figures that can be built and decorated so Batman can still compete for control over Gotham City as he had before, and Illumination's Minions can still create mischief and mayhem," the press release said.