McDonald's Releases 2011 Sustainability Scorecard

McDonald's Corporation has released its 2011 Sustainability Scorecard outlining the company's progress in five areas, including environmental responsibility and sustainable sourcing. Click here for the press release and more on the company's progress as it seeks to make sustainability part of its everyday business operations.

As Bart King for Sustainable Brands notes,

McDonald’s met only one out of 13 stated goals in these five areas during 2011. That goal was to increase energy awareness and education across its system of stores. The company fell short on other environmental goals for increasing adoption of energy efficient technology and equipment, though it did make available for purchase some 90 pieces of more energy-efficient equipment to the McDonald's system, and introduced "energy bundles" -- packages of recommended restaurant improvements that combine simple changes like energy-efficient lighting with newer tools such as occupancy sensors. McDonald’s also did not reach a goal for tracking restaurant energy usage, however the scorecard notes improvements in energy data gathering and reporting capabilities in the company’s nine major markets.

The brand's most notable sustainable success last year: "sourcing fish under its Sustainable Fisheries program. The company says 99 percent of its fish worldwide comes from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries." The report also outlines its diversity goals (citing stats such as the 28% of worldwide top management who are women and the 50% of company-owned restaurant managers), its corporate giving ("$170 million raised since 2002") and its 15 menu items containing at least 1/2 serving of fruit or vegetables.

In a blog post the company noted that it's looking to make sustainability "mainstream":

"What’s new and different about our just released 2011 Sustainability Scorecard? Where is McDonald’s headed on our sustainability journey? The answer s to these questions start with the title you see on the front cover – 'Sustainability Scorecard.' We’ve evolved from referring to our efforts under the term 'Corporate Responsibility' to using 'sustainability' as a way to define our holistic approach to creating shared value for our company and society."

The QSR giant, which has been polling feedback on sustainability and nutrition in local meetings and social media via a US-wide listening tour that will continue in 2012, vows this year to continue to focus on three other areas central to its sustainability strategy – Menu Evolution, Employee Experience and Community — including adding apple slices and "kid size" French Fries to Happy Meals in North America and Latin American restaurants by the end of March.

As part of its sustainability scorecard this week, the company is touting its farm-to-front-counter local grower commitment, highlighting suppliers with video profiles in three key areas on its sustainability website: beef, lettuce and potatoes.

Below, McDonald's Europe touts its commitment to sustainable fishing: "McDonald's has operated a Sustainable Fisheries Program globally for many years. McDonald's Europe has now gone one step further by using the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label on all the Filet-o-Fish sold in the 7,000 McDonald's restaurants across Europe. Hear what the MSC has to say about this incredible journey."