To mark the conclusion of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), McDonald’s Pakistan organized a symbolic walk and a media event on November 11, 2021, in collaboration with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Directorate of Health Services Islamabad, WWF, UNDP, and CDA.
Minister for State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir, Sr. Director WWF Pakistan Rab Nawaz, DC Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat, DG EPA Farzana Altaf Shah, DG Health CDA Dr. Hassan Orooj, McDonald’s Pakistan Director SC/QA Asif Ghaffar, McDonald’s Pakistan National Manager Marketing Viquas Jaleel, and McDonald’s Pakistan National Manager QA Amina Khalid were present at the event.
Addressing the event Viquas Jaleel, National Marketing Manager McDonalds Pakistan, said: “As we all know, climate change and its impact is being studied worldwide. McDonalds has been engaged in mitigating the foreseeable risks and has engaged with that public sector to support various plantation drives over the past several years.”
“We have a dedicated research and development division in our global corporate office that has been continuously worked on integrating the McDonald’s business in line with United Nation’s sustainable goals. In Pakistan we can proudly say that we have successfully accomplished most of our responsible food and packaging sourcing goals and have worked on various additional objectives to ensure sustainability in the long term,” he added.
He further said, “We believe in partnerships, strengthening them as we move forward and creating new ones. We hope to make this world more environment-friendly.”
Asif Ghaffar, Director Supply Chain & Quality Assurance McDonald’s Pakistan, added: “For the past 7 to 8 years, there has been extensive research and development in the field of sustainable sourcing of meat, products, and packaging. McDonald’s Pakistan has applied the same global practices to our supply chain in Pakistan. We have shared our knowledge and expertise with various suppliers and manufacturers in Pakistan.”
“They are now fully capable of supplying international quality products, which are responsibly sourced, processed and supplied. We have also ensured sustainable packaging, which is the development and use of packaging that results in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to help guide the use of packaging that reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint,” he added.
“However, all of the products we use are sourced from PG Tips and are fully Rainforest Alliance Certified. Similarly, our freshly ground coffee is made using Arabica coffee beans specially selected from sustainable farms certified by the Rainforest Alliance,” Asif further stated.
McDonald’s Pakistan believes in playing an active role in addressing social, cultural, and environmental issues that impact our society. A global brand with over 2 decades in Pakistan, McDonald’s has been one of the most environment-friendly food chains operating in the country. From restaurants’ operations to supply chain systems, the planet and its future are kept at the forefront of every decision.
