McDonalds opens first UK net zero restaurant

McDonald’s has announced the opening of the UK’s first net zero carbon restaurant.

The Market Drayton McDonald’s, which will act as a blueprint for future restaurants around the country, has been designed to be net zero emissions standard in both construction and every day operation.

Featuring the “latest innovations” in sustainable building design throughout, the brand said the restaurant retains the “familiar” McDonald’s look to ensure it can be replicated as the business looks to revolutionise the way it designs its new and existing restaurants to achieve net zero emissions for all its 1,400 restaurants and offices by 2030.

From a Drive-Thru lane made from recycled tyres, wall art made from used coffee beans and kerb stones made from plastic bottles, the restaurant will act as a testing site for a number of “industry-first” innovations.

According to McDonalds, the site is powered by on-site solar panels and wind turbines, as well as the installation of building cladding made from recycled IT equipment and white household goods

Beth Hart, McDonald’s vice president supply chain and brand trust, said: “At McDonald’s we believe that our food needs to be served in restaurants that are sustainable for the future. Market Drayton is a big step towards making that a reality, enabling us to test and put into practice what a net zero emissions building, both in build and use, really looks like.”

Simon McWhirter, UKGBC’s director of communications, policy and places, added: “This is the next step on McDonald’s commitment to ensure that by 2023 all furniture in new and refurbished restaurants will be made from recycled or certified materials and designed to be recycled or reused.”