McDonald's

As the global fast food empire of our time, McDonald’s, has used its vast resources to focus on five main areas of good works: balanced and active lifestyles, community, environment, people and responsible purchasing.

Balanced, Active Lifestyles
With a global commitment to promote good health and active lifestyles, McDonald’s was the first in the industry to give customers essential nutrition information in an easy-to-understand format. A partnership with Produce for Better Health has enabled McDonald’s to include a wide variety of menu choices to encourage a healthy lifestyle. On the physical activity front, McDonald’s has developed a multi-faceted and multicultural physical education curriculum called Passport to Play, now used in 40,000 elementary schools. Passport to Play is supported by the United States Olympic Committee, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Scripps Research Institute and the MidContinental Research Education Laboratory (McREL). McDonald’s also supports local youth sports programs and sponsors major sports competitions, including the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup soccer matches.

Community

Walk into any McDonald’s restaurant and you’re likely to notice a Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) donation box next to the cast register. To help parents keep their children healthy, RMHC has teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics on a children’s immunization program called Immunize for Healthy Lives.

McDonald’s also supports causes paramount to its employees and customers. As a sponsor of Breast Cancer Network of Strength’s Mother’s Day Walk to Empower events in cities across the country, the company continues its long-standing commitment to fighting breast cancer. Since 2002, McDonald’s restaurants worldwide have participated in World Children’s Day, an annual fundraiser to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other charitable programs for children. In Texas, a local McDonald’s created Camp Mickey D’s — an innovative program that helps students learn about workplace values and the connection between school and work. The McDonald’s Corporation also works with The Field Museum in Chicago, National Wildlife Federation, the American School Counselor Association, Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Upromise network and Scholastic magazine.

Environment

McDonald’s has a fervent commitment to our planet and focuses on conserving natural resources for current and future generations. Environmentally sound practices are incorporated at the local level in restaurants and the communities that they serve, and at the corporate level with programs affecting the world at large. The company’s achievements have been recognized by the Audubon Society, Conservation International, Keep America Beautiful, the National Recycling Coalition, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

McDonald’s works with Environmental Defense to reduce waste in its restaurants. An early member of the US Environmental Protection Agency's Green Lights program, the company has made strides to reduce its energy consumption by using energy-efficient fluorescent lighting.

People

McDonald’s is committed to a supportive, inclusive work environment where employees can grow and contribute. Training and career development are encouraged at every level, and the company strives to maintain a diverse and talented staff. Success in this goal has been recognized by several external publications and organizations.

Responsible Purchasing

McDonald’s works with suppliers to ensure that the food it delivers to customers is created in the most socially responsibly manner possible. With a supplier social accountability program focused on protecting workers' health, safety and human rights, and animal welfare programs like laying hen guidelines and onsite audits of supplier facilities, customers can feel good about the origins of the food they eat.

When brothers Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first restaurant in 1940, they couldn’t have imagined the worldwide phenomenon that would become of their creation. Growing from one outlet in San Bernadino, CA, today McDonald’s operates over 31,000 restaurants in 119 countries. Hungry consumers know that no matter where they may travel, they can always rely on the "Golden Arches" to satisfy their cravings.

The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974.  Since that time, RMHC has been committed to creating and supporting programs that improve the health and well being of children. RMHC now operates in 52 countries, and has affected the lives of millions of children around the world and their families.

highlights

• In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency named McDonald’s ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year.
• Since 2007, Ethisphere Institute, a US-based think tank, McDonald's has been recognized annually as one of the "world's most ethical companies."
• In 2009, News Week magazine ranked McDonald's #22 on a list of the greenest big companies in America.
• In 2009, for the fifth year in a row, McDonald's was been selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones World and Dow Jones North America Sustainability Indexes, which recognize companies that are industry leaders on a broad range of economic, environmental, and social issues.

Sources

McDonald's official website

Ronald McDonald House Charities

McDonald's corporate responsibility website

Partnership for a Drug-Free America official website

Keep America Beautiful official website

Logo courtesy of McDonald's