OUTER PLANET 46 PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 12/25 www.petpla.net OUTER PLANET Nationwide rollout began November 19, 2025 McDonald’s Japan replaces straws with 100% rPET lids From November 19, 2025, McDonald’s Japan began rolling out new strawless lids made from 100 per cent recycled PET for its cold beverages served in paper cups. The introduction marks a major step in the company’s ongoing effort to phase out virgin plastics across its packaging by the end of 2025 - a programme expected to reduce annual virgin-plastic use by about 6,600 t. The newly developed “strawless lid” allows customers to drink directly from the cup with spill prevention but without a straw. Designed and tested over more than three years, it was created to balance drinking comfort with spill prevention for all consumption settings: in-store, take-out, delivery, and drive-thru. The lid has been designed to open easily for drinking yet remains secure during transport, preventing leaks. The design is also claimed to help prevent carbonated beverages from spilling due to internal gas pressure during delivery. Made entirely from rPET recovered from used bottles, the new lid not only marks a step toward reducing virgin plastic use but also signals the end of paper-straw distribution for most beverages. Straws will only continue to be offered with children’s Happy Meals and products. Expanding recycled and biomass packaging At the same time, McDonald’s Japan will replace its plastic shopping bags nationwide with versions made from 95 per cent biomass plastic, following successful trials conducted in Nagasaki earlier this year. The new bags, which, according to the company, perform in terms of strength and usability identically to their predecessors, which contained 50 per cent biomass plastic, and are made from renewable organic resources such as plants, further supporting the company’s goal of reducing reliance on fossil-based materials. These initiatives form part of McDonald’s long-term packaging transition program, launched in 2022, which seeks to convert all guest packaging to renewable, recycled, or certified materials by the end of 2025. The company reports steady progress toward this target in its Sustainability Report 2024, noting that nearly all primary guest packaging items are now either recyclable, made from recycled content, or in the process of conversion. Circular design and material reduction According to the Sustainability Report 2024, McDonald’s Japan is promoting circular resource use through initiatives such as introducing lighter-weight materials, expanding paper-based items, and increasing the use of recycled PET. By replacing fossil-based virgin plastics with recycled and renewable materials, the company aims to accelerate the transition toward a circular economy. The report highlights McDonald’s Japan’s broader environmental strategy, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions from restaurants, logistics, and packaging operations, as well as implementing waste-reduction programs at the store level. As part of this effort, the company aims to achieve a 50.4 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from restaurants and offices by 2030 compared to 2018 levels, and a 50.4 per cent reduction across its supply chain, including facilities, logistics, and plastic packaging. “In our journey toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, we have expanded our greenhouse gas reduction initiatives. Beyond our ongoing energy conservation efforts and renewable energy procurement (approximately 520 restaurants), we have begun testing solar panel installations and EV charging stations at select locations,” the report states. The company emphasises that these packaging improvements are not short-term trials but part of a structural transformation of its operations in Japan. www.mcdonalds.co.jp/sustainability/ sustainability_report www.mcdonalds.co.jp Left: previous lid / Right: new lid Lid made from 100% rPET (photos: McDonald’s)
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