Climate Action (2024)

Our Net Zero Climate Target

In 2018, we committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to our restaurants and offices by 36%, as well as the emissions intensity (per metric ton of food and packaging) across our supply chain by 31%, by the end of 2030 from a 2015 base year. These science-based targets were approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and we have continued to work toward them by collaborating with industries, governments, Franchisees, suppliers, consumers and local communities. In 2021, we committed to adapting our climate target to help keep global temperature rises below 1.5°C and reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

Since then, we have worked to evolve our 2030 target. This process included updating both our restaurants and offices target, as well as our supply chain target, based on the latest science and guidance from external experts. As of 2023, we have adjusted our 2030 target, aligned with latest guidance and validated by the SBTi to the following¹:

• 50.4% reduction in our absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions related to our restaurants and offices by the end of 2030, from a 2018 baseline.
• 50.4% reduction in our absolute scope 3 GHG emissions related to facility, logistics and plastic packaging in our supply chain by the end of 2030, from a 2018 baseline.
• 16% reduction in our absolute scope 3 forests, land and agriculture (FLAG) GHG emissions related to beef and chicken farming activity by the end of 2030, from a 2018 baseline.

Achieving these ambitions will require continued and immediate action across our full value chain – including our independent suppliers and Franchisees, as well as the support and enabling conditions from government on all levels. Among many other efforts, we intend to continue focusing on adding clean energy to the grid, including through Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs), scaling regenerative agriculture practices with our supply chain partners, helping prevent deforestation and ecosystem conversion in key sourcing geographies, and using our voice to advocate for climate positive policies across the globe. As we work toward reaching net zero emissions by 2050, these 2030 milestones will enable positive momentum toward reducing our climate impacts across the McDonald’s System in the near term.

We will continue to work toward driving meaningful progress on our global target, while recognizing that our emissions reduction plans and ambitions may be impacted by elements outside of the Company’s direct control. This may include external policy and geopolitical changes, technological advancements, developments in global climate accounting standards, and the actions of our supplier and Franchisee partners.

Currently, we have aligned our target with the SBTi’s latest 2023 guidance for target-setting, and our measurement approach in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the primary global emissions accounting framework. We will continue to share our progress as accounting frameworks evolve. Any changes to third-party guidance or technologies that were utilized to inform our strategies have the potential to impact our ability to meet our current targets. Given the long-term nature of our strategies, this could result in revision of the assumptions, calculations and targets set by the Company, depending on how standards and measurement capabilities develop.

We also know that we will need external climate accounting standards to continue to evolve in the pragmatic manner in which we anticipate, especially for nature-based solutions, like soil carbon sequestration, renewable energy and land use change, to enable us to meet our current targets.

Our climate ambitions will be balanced with overall Company performance ambitions, including financial growth and continued innovation in our menu offerings and sourcing. The Company’s pursuit of financial growth strategies, including the development of new restaurants and continued sales growth, could also result in an increase in GHG emissions in the near or medium term if the Company does not decarbonize our footprint at a rate greater than our business growth. This balance of our Company-wide objectives and navigating the external environment will remain critical in enabling progress on our climate targets, while also driving our business strategies forward.

Our Comprehensive Disclosure on Climate Action

• Climate Risk & Resiliency Summary 2021 (PDF – 3.82 MB)
• McDonald’s 2022 CDP Climate Change (PDF – 827 KB)

The figures below reflect our 2022 GHG emissions relative to our 2018 base year, including, as in previous years, all renewable energy VPPAs. These figures have been updated based on third-party guidance around leveraging the latest methodology and most comprehensive data available. As we transition our emissions reduction strategies to work toward meeting our 2050 Net Zero target and recently evolved 2030 global emissions reduction target, we intend to begin reporting target progress in 2024.

The below data has been reported in accordance with CDP methodology. Future reporting of our climate progress in accordance with latest SBTi methodology for our newly formalized targets may differ and impact final progress figures. As we continue to enhance our methodology and data quality over future reporting cycles, we expect the baseline and annual progress figures to adjust accordingly. Although we aim for continuous progress, we acknowledge that change is not a linear journey, and that each year brings new factors that may cause some variability.

GHG Emissions (Metric Tons Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e))²

Read more on our approach to eliminating deforestation on ourNature, Forests & Water page and our approach to regenerative agriculture on ourResponsible Sourcingpage.

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