McDonald's Corporation

Advisory Council Member

Founded in 1955 and currently the second-largest restaurant chain in the world, McDonald’s takes seriously its commitment to increase the sustainability of coffee sourcing. Since 2008 McDonald’s has been committed to practicing sustainable coffee farming and sourcing through the serving of only Rainforest Alliance, UTZ or Fairtrade Certified coffee in all of its European locations. By 2015, over one-third of McDonald’s global coffee supply came from certified sustainable sources, with a company-wide goal of sourcing 100% of McDonald’s coffee through sustainable methods by just 2020. McDonald’s believes strongly that through cooperation, coffee can be the world’s first truly sustainable agricultural product.

Statement of support

“We are excited to join forces with other industry leaders to support Conservation International’s Sustainable Coffee Challenge. We are on a journey to serve all of our customers responsibly sourced, high quality coffee from verified sources by 2020. Our size and global reach give us the responsibility to lead meaningful change around the world. Joining the Sustainable Coffee Challenge furthers this commitment knowing, together, we can make coffee the world’s first sustainable agricultural product.” Victoria Zimmerman, Manager of Strategic Sourcing - Coffee, McDonald’s Corporation

Actor
Retailer
Action Networks
Partner Since September 2016

Our Commitments

100% of coffee verified as supporting sustainable production by 2020.

Update

June 2022

Our goal is that 100% of coffee sourced for McDonald restaurants is sustainably sourced and supports deforestation free supply chains by the end of 2020. Annually we track volumes, origin and certification data from suppliers globally through the TraQtion system to ensure that we continue to meet our commitments and can report transparently on our progress.
In 2021 98.7% of ground and whole bean coffee, including decaffeinated coffee, to be used in espresso-based drinks and coffee brewed at McDonald’s restaurants and all ground and whole bean coffee in McDonald’s branded retail products was sustainably sourced and supported deforestation-free supply chains. We were unable to collect data for 1.3% of our global coffee volumes in 2021 and therefore to be conservative we report these volumes as non-compliant with our goal.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Zero Hunger
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Responsible Consumption and Production
Status 98.7% complete
Target date 2020
Countries targeted Global

Similar Commitments

Ahold Delhaize

By 2025, 100% of Own Brand coffee products are certified to an acceptable standard. Standards currently accepted include UTZ, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade, or equivalent. More about Ahold Delhaize's commitment >

Mi Cafeto Co., Ltd.

By 2020, 100% of our coffee from individual estates will be responsibly sourced and marketed based on our sustainability guidelines. More about Mi Cafeto's commitment >

Nespresso

ENSURE THE RESILIENCE OF COFFEE FARMS AND COMMUNITIES by Sourcing towards 100% of our permanent coffees through the AAA Sustainable Quality(TM) Program, Increasing the share of certified coffees in the AAA supply, Innovating... More about Nespresso's commitment >

See All