McDonald’s Philippines to open more Green & Good stores

By Miguel Hanz L. Antivola, Reporter

MCDONALD’S Philippines said it will open its entire portfolio of 60 new stores next year with Green & Good elements, alongside an additional flagship store, as part of its commitment to environmental responsibility.

The company will have 160 Green & Good stores by yearend, surpassing its goal of 130, Adi T. Hernandez, assistant vice-president for corporate relations and impact at McDonald’s Philippines, told reporters on the sidelines of its seventh flagship launch at Ayala Cresendo, Tarlac last week.

“Green & Good is test and learn,” she said on creating tailor-fit environment-friendly innovations per store. “We get to really experiment around these stores to find which are the best stores to integrate certain solutions.”

Green & Good is a local McDonald’s sustainability initiative which considers green building solutions, utility efficient solutions, packaging and waste disposal, and sustainable active mobility (Bike & Dine areas), depending on store specifications, Ms. Hernandez noted.

Ms. Hernandez said the Green & Good stores are “very much a local platform and framework,” noting that other markets come here to learn from the example of McDonald’s Philippines.

The flagship store construction in Tarlac includes 25% recycled steel building frames, eco-pavers and bricks made from 1-2 kilograms of shredded plastic, and synthetic fiber for reinforcement bars.

John Jo Camacho, business development group manager at McDonald’s, noted how 7-8% of the store’s energy consumption is supplied by its 24 kilowatt-hour (kWh) peak solar panel rooftop, where 3,000 kWh is saved monthly.

The store also reduces electric consumption through its photo and motion sensors, solar lampposts (3,100 kWh/year), LED lights (3,625 kWh/month), a variable refrigerant flow aircon system (9,000 kWh/year), low-power water heater (530 kWh/month), and heat reflective glass panels.

Additionally, it minimizes water consumption through its low-flow urinals (46,000 liters/year) and rainwater harvesting tanks (6,000 liters/year).

Ms. Hernandez said sustainable solutions must be present in all segments of the value chain, from construction to actual operations. “If not, it’s going to be a one-off thing.”

“It’s not only better for the environment, it will also yield returns in the long run,” she added on McDonald’s way of business moving forward in the next year.

While a Green & Good store is about 15% more expensive than a regular store, Mr. Camacho noted the cost can be recovered in six to seven years.

Ms. Hernandez said McDonald’s is eyeing sites in mixed-use developments for its next stores.

“It’s more of the discipline needed to track, study, and learn from the data that we’re able to get from our Green & Good stores,” she noted as a primary challenge in fulfilling the company’s sustainability goals.

“There’s still a lot of opportunity from us to harness and process the data to make better solutions.”

However, she said Green & Good has made it easier for the company to onboard 80 crew members per store. “They understand the cause.”

McDonald’s Philippines is set to close the year with 50 new stores and 740 stores in total, according to Ms. Hernandez.