McDonald’s to open UK's first 'net zero' restaurant in Shropshire next month

A new McDonald's being built in Shropshire will be the fast food chain's first "net-zero" store in the UK, the company has said.

McDonald’s announced the news on Monday as part of plans to slash emissions across the country by 2040.

The chain said it will reach net zero – meaning it emits no more greenhouse gases than it absorbs through its business – across the world by the middle of the century.

In the UK and Ireland its net-zero target has been set a decade earlier.

In November, the company plans to open a new burger restaurant in Market Drayton which will be built to a “UK industry net-zero emissions standard”.

Work started on the restaurant and drive-thru site in June and McDonald's says it will be a blueprint for other new-build restaurants.

Sixty five jobs are to be created at the branch, which is being built between Shrewsbury Road and the A53 just off the roundabout known locally as the Müller Island.

Gareth Hudson, construction director at McDonald's, said: “Our Market Drayton Restaurant is an exciting testing ground to put into practice what a net zero building, both in build and in use, looks like.

"From the materials used throughout the build process to how it’s powered, along with creating new areas of natural habitat to enhance the biodiversity of the site and local area, we’re bringing together skills and expertise from across McDonald’s and the partners we work with.”

From 2023 all new furniture in McDonald’s sites will be made with recycled or certified materials, and will be designed to be recycled or reused when no longer needed.

Packaging will also be made with materials that are renewable, recycled or from certified sources by 2024.

The goals are in line with the Science Based Targets initiative.

McDonald’s UK and Ireland chief executive Paul Pomroy said: “McDonald’s has a long history of taking action where it really matters to the communities we serve. But we are at a moment now where we need to accelerate our ambition and work even harder to look after each other and the planet.

“This new plan for change is not just our sustainability strategy, it’s our business priority.

“That means it isn’t a plan for one change, but for many – changes that together, with 1,400 restaurants, over 130,000 people, 23,000 British and Irish farmers and four million customers visiting every day, really will add up.”

MP Andrew Griffith has been appointed by the Government to champion net-zero targets among British businesses.

He said: “Having an iconic brand like McDonald’s join the hundreds of businesses across the UK that have signed up to the UN’s Race To Net Zero campaign is an exciting milestone.

“I hope businesses across the UK will be inspired by their ambitious initiatives, helping us all to build back greener.”