NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • September 21, 2021
The toys that come in McDonald's Happy Meals will soon be made mostly from corn and other materials rather than from fossil fuel-based plastic, the fast-food chain says. The switch is already underway in some international markets; it's expected to be complete globally by 2025. "Making our toys out of renewable, recycled, or certified materials will result in about a 90% reduction of fossil fuel-based plastic in Happy Meal toys [compared with 2018]," the company said as it announced the plan Tuesday. The benefits of the change will be equivalent to more than 650,000 people not using any plastic for a year, the company said.