Multinational corporations need to have reusable packaging strategies in place as part of risk management, according to Kelly McBee, circular economy senior coordinator at As You Sow, to comply with a Global Plastics Treaty deemed by the United Nations aimed to end single-use plastic production and usage by 2024 under an international legally binding agreement. Read More →
Read MoreHow would that small change make a big impact on the amount of plastic going into our oceans? As You Sow is a shareholder advocacy company that posed those very questions to Micky D's themselves. How did the colossal cuisine company respond? Read More →
Read MoreThis year, As You Sow filed a new proposal requesting McDonald’s report on the environmental benefits of reusable packaging, but withdrew it ahead of the company’s annual meeting after McDonald’s told them it would publish such a report. A McDonald’s spokeswoman said the company had planned to carry out its study before the As You Sow proposal. Read More →
Read MoreA long-term goal is to introduce the cups into major chains. Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president for the shareholder advocacy nonprofit As You Sow, told Waste Dive the programs are "a key first step" toward shifting companies like Starbucks "away from single use packaging and towards reusables." He added "there will need to be a lot of market testing to study, encourage, and induce customer behavior change." Read More →
Read More“They said they had some hoops to jump through,” says Conrad Mackerron, the director of the waste and recycling program at As You Sow. “Just before the holiday, they indicated that they were going to be able to do this. I said, ‘That’s great, but you need to put it on paper.’ But they followed through in the same [way] as when they stuck to their word back in 2012 when they stopped the foam use in the U.S.”
Read MoreAs You Sow, a shareholder advocacy group that promotes social and corporate environmental responsibility headquartered in Oakland, California, has refiled a resolution with McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook, Illinois, for 2018 urging the company to assess the environmental impact of its polystyrene use in beverage cups and food trays. The same proposal was voted on by shareholders earlier this year and received the support of nearly one-third of shares voted.
Read More"It seems strange to bring something like this back," said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow, a corporate responsibility group that has pushed for a phaseout of polystyrene at McDonald's and other restaurant chains and retailers. "It's kind of curious that they're doing this now."
Read MorePhasing out the use of polystyrene has been a priority of As You Sow's for years. Based on a 2011 shareholder resolution they encouraged McDonald's to try a pilot program that eventually resulted in the company making a full switch to paper in 2013. Though the company has yet to do this outside of the U.S. and Dunkin' Donuts hasn't followed up on a similar promise. Resolutions have also been filed with Amazon and Target, which mainly use the material for shipping.
Read MoreThe sisters are part of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), which along with ShareAction, Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative and As You Sow, also are targeting companies such as Sanderson Farms (SAFM.O) and Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N) with similar campaigns aimed at preserving the efficacy of antibiotics.
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