McDonald’s truck fleet in the United Arab Emirates has traveled 25 million kilometers powered by biodiesel – News

Launched in 2011, the biodiesel program in collaboration with Neutral Fuels has saved more than 23 million kg of CO2 emissions compared to driving with regular gasoline diesel.

In the United Arab Emirates, rapid growth in the economy and population, while indicating prosperity, has also led to a dramatic increase in demand for resources such as energy, food and water.

With a long-term approach in mind, the UAE government is committed to achieving more sustainable consumption and production, in line with the United Nations’ 12th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG12). This requires countries to abandon a “take, make, use and dispose” operational mindset and instead operate sustainably within environmental limits, prioritizing the well-being of current and future generations. This commitment to a circular economy from a national perspective plays an important role in contributing to the UAE’s Green Agenda 2030.

Understanding the collective responsibility to drive sustainable change and provide tangible solutions, McDonald’s UAE, owned and operated by Emirates Fast Food Company LLC, has championed environmental conservation as one of its core business objectives. Over the years, the company has taken conscious steps to embed sustainability at the core of its operations and initiatives. This commitment is evident through the launch of the biodiesel program in 2011, in partnership with Neutral Fuels.

The biodiesel program ensures that used cooking oil from all McDonald’s restaurants in the UAE is collected and converted into the alternative fuel used to power its fleet of delivery trucks. Neutral Fuels facilitates rigorous cooking oil collection and conversion processes, resulting in biodiesel. Recently, McDonald’s UAE and Neutral Fuels achieved a major milestone in their biodiesel journey, surpassing 25 million kilometers powered by this sustainable fuel.

To date, more than 10 million liters of used cooking oil have been converted into biodiesel. This has minimized McDonald’s carbon footprint in the UAE by saving 23 million kg of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to taking more than 15 million cars off the roads for a year, according to Informa PLC.

Beyond the biodiesel program, McDonald’s in the UAE also maintains a long-standing partnership with Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) spanning two decades. Together, they presented multiple conservation initiatives to the local community. These include inviting students to large-scale tree planting opportunities through the ‘Planting a Greener Future’ program, and many more.

Through its biodiesel program and current partnership with Emirates Environmental Group, McDonald’s UAE aims to play an active role in addressing sustainability concerns by establishing long-term partnerships that serve the future of the UAE.