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Corporate social responsibility through the eyes of Vice President, Bob Langert, and the other people at McDonald's who work on corporate responsibility issues that matter. Get personal perspectives on the issues, hear open assessments of the challenges we face, and engage in civil dialogue with the people behind the programs at the Golden Arches.

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Bringing Corporate Social Responsibility to Life

By Kathleen Bannan, Senior Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility

At McDonald's, we're committed to communicating our CSR performance in an open manner. Just as importantly, we try to make that information as accessible and engaging as possible, so that the general public can become more informed on the issues and get a real sense of how McDonald's is performing.

To that end, CSR reports only get you so far. The average person is just not inclined to delve into a bunch of technical details in an 80-100 page report. This is why our most recent report was presented in an all-digital format with embedded video. CSR is everyone's business, and we should communicate with that idea in mind.

The language in the report is purposely simple and straightforward so that you don't have to be a CSR expert to understand it. The video brings CSR at McDonald's to life and is so much more engaging than words on a page.

I think this is the way of the future, and I was so pleased to see the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship leading the way with their first annual Film Fest, highlighting the creative ways companies are telling their CSR/corporate citizenship stories.

McDonald's submission, "The Road to Sustainability," features some of our sustainability achievements through images, music and facts and figures that might surprise you.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

 

-Kathleen

Posted March 18, 2009 3:20 PM
Comments | Add Comment

Posted By: Andy Cano (08/04/2009 1:03:13 PM)
Comment: I was very impressed to eat a filet o' fish with sustainable fish. I was also impressed with the amount of packaging and building materials using post-consumer recycled products. The flavor of the filet o' fish was excellent. When I am out in the field I always eat at McDonald's totally because of the environmental, corporate and social responsibility. Keep up the good work and I will keep up eating!

Response: Appreciate the positive feedback. I agree about the Filet-o-Fish. I find really, really a great great tasting sandwich, too! - Bob

Posted By: Debbie Ball (08/04/2009 6:28:33 AM)
Comment: I would like to know when or if you will be selling or marketing Frankie the Fish. I would like to own one. Thank you

Posted By: Jeppe S. Olsen (08/04/2009 4:20:03 AM)
Comment: Hi Kathleen I think it is courageous that McDonalds has a blog on CSR thinking of the products you sell. I will follow the page here and see if I can be inspired. If you prefer, you can follow my page on CSR: www.socialansvarlighed.dk it is written in danish, but it can be translated via google translate. Bgr. Jeppe

Posted By: Liberty (24/03/2009 6:00:21 PM)
Comment: It is good to know such an influential corporation is taking environmental impact seriously. In regards to packaging I am wondering if McD's will ever offer a refillable drink cup that can be brought back to the restaurant on subsequent visits. Convenience stores and coffee shops offer this option for the green minded.

Response: Thanks for your message. Currently, it is our company policy to not allow external packaging (travel mugs, etc.) behind the counter at our restaurants due to potential contamination and food safety concerns. This also may provide some operational challenges in certain restaurants in the U.S.

We continue to examine these policies and look for ways to reduce packaging, but our customer's safety always come first, and at this time, that's the reason.
-The McDonald's CSR Team

Posted By: (22/03/2009 1:17:37 PM)
Comment: I am curious if there are more csr programs in other countries.

Response: Thanks for your question. CSR programs and initiatives are in action across the McDonald's System. Some of our best social and environmental innovations actually got started at the country level. Check out some of our country and regional-level CSR Reports: http://www.crmcdonalds.com/publish/csr/home/report/other_reports.html.
-The McDonald's CSR Team

Posted By: David Clement (19/03/2009 5:41:41 PM)
Comment: Bring back the shamrock shake. It was the best shake ever. Why did you get rid of it?

Posted By: Susan Thomas (19/03/2009 7:48:34 AM)
Comment: Hi Kathleen- The Film Fest has been a real surprise for us, not only in the number of videos submitted, but in particular that the voting response has been so great. Since the competition began on March 12 we have received 9,000 votes and we have extended the voting until March 25. People are really appreciating seeing the good things companies are doing. Stay tuned to find out who the winner is when we announce it at our International Corporate Citizenship Conference (www.CorporateCitizenshipConference.com) on March 30.

Response: Thanks for your message. It's great to see such a great response. Kathleen