McDonald’s has opened what it calls the United Kingdom’s first net-zero carbon restaurant. It claims: “The Market Drayton McDonald’s, which will act as a blueprint for future restaurants around the country, has been designed to be net zero emissions standard in both construction and every day operation—an industry first.”
My first reaction was to make my usual complaint, as I have with Starbucks in the U.S., that you can’t make a drive-thru suburban restaurant selling hamburgers sustainable and green. But let’s get that out of the way upfront here, because there is a lot going on in this project that’s interesting.
What Is Net-Zero?
Net-zero is a scenario in which human-generated greenhouse gas emissions are reduced as much as possible, with those that remain being balanced out by the removal of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere.
The first and most important thing is the restaurant is built to the UK Green Building Council’s (UKGBC) net-zero standard, which is one of the first to account for embodied carbon—the upfront carbon that is emitted in the construction of the restaurant—as well as the operating emissions. In its thorough explanation of net-zero emissions goals and definitions, McDonald’s explains:
“Our definition: We will aim to use the UKGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Framework definition of ‘net zero carbon – construction (modules A1 – A5)’ for all freehold new build restaurants and ‘net zero carbon – operational energy (module B6)’ for all restaurants.”
As can be seen from this table, A1 through A5 are classed as upfront carbon and include everything from raw material supply through to transport and construction or installation. (As an aside, that chart is one of the first to use the term “upfront carbon” which some have noted was first used on Treehugger.)
The upfront carbon emissions were reduced by replacing the usual concrete piles with a concrete slab made using pulverized fuel ash and blast-furnace slag to reduce portland cement content. The building frame itself was steel; according to McDonald’s development director Gareth Hudson, speaking to Kristina Smith in Construction Management UK:
The walls were insulated with sheep wool and clad with metal made from recycled IT equipment and “white goods”: washers, fridges, and stoves, along with sustainably sourced poplar and plastic cladding made from recycled plastic bottles. The internal parapets on the roof, which nobody sees, are apparently made from recycled toasters and blenders. Instead of the usual aluminum commercial windows, it has used sustainably sourced timber.
A thousand concrete curbs were replaced with Durakerbs made out of plastic bottles, and the drive-thru lane is paved with recycled tires. According to McDonald’s, “This material produces less carbon-dioxide and allows more water to be absorbed, reducing the amount of rainwater going down the drain.”
Sometimes it seems a bit silly. You are not going to save much upfront carbon making the wall signs out of coffee beans or making the art out of recycled polystyrene cups. But the superficial feel-good stuff doesn’t change the fact that by measuring everything against the UKGBC standard—it all adds up to serious carbon savings.
Operating carbon emissions are reduced by the use of renewable energy from almost 1,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof and two photogenic vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) that are estimated to generate 60,000 kilowatt-hours per year; they will buy green power to make up any difference. VAWT turbines don’t actually work very well in cities where they look lovely but are subject to turbulence, but this site looks wide open in the photos, so they might well be doing more than greenwashing. Again, when Method Consulting is running real carbon numbers for the UKGBC standard, all the metal in that turbine has to pay for itself. And the UKGBC likes what it sees here. Simon McWhirter, the UKGBC director of communications, policy, and places, says in the press release:
Looking at the Google Image of the site sandwiched between industrial storage and farmland, I have to reiterate that, of course, we should not be praising development in the middle of nowhere that everyone has to drive to or through. Of course, we dislike the spread of the American-style drive-thru to the U.K., where it has been booming because of the pandemic. And of course, if we care about carbon emissions, we shouldn’t be eating burgers.
But I have to say, I am impressed. This is real net-zero. This is measuring both upfront and operating carbon. This is not our usual net-zero by 2050 fantasy; this is not just pretty turbines and promises. And it appears the fast food chain is just getting started. Last words to Beth Hart, McDonald’s vice president of supply chain and brand trust:
