For the very first time in India, McDonald’s is converting used cooking oil into biodiesel, and using it to power trucks that make trips to its 275 restaurants carrying supplies from its distribution centre. To know how the conversion of used oil into biodiesel works, you can watch the below video:

This is a good move looking at the strategies brands are trying to promote sustainability in their marketing. Hardcastle Restaurants, a McDonald’s franchisee revealed that it is converting 450,000 liters of used cooking oil annually into biodiesel.

“We began the initiative a year ago on a pilot basis in Mumbai and have since scaled up the operation. We now cover 50 percent of our stores and the plan is to reach all 275 restaurants in west and south India,” a spokesperson from the franchisee said.

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The plan is to cover 500 stores in the coming four years and the partnership with local player Unicon Biofuels which converts used cooking oil into biodiesel will help to achieve the objective.

“We have been working with them (Unicon) for the last one year and are happy with the outcome,” Ogale says.

Other restaurant chains have already contributed to reducing plastic consumption in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, following a ban on plastic in the state. The introduction of paper containers, straws and plates, glass bottles and even steel lunch boxes have made the change possible.

McDonald’s has been running multiple sustainable initiatives in India, including sourcing fresh food straight from farms and reducing sodium, oil, and fats in its menu.

McDonald’s globally aims to reduce the use of greenhouse gas emissions by 36 percent across its restaurants by 2030, and decreasing emission intensity per metric tonne of food and packaging by 31 percent.

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It is a good marketing move considering that doing something good for the environment can never go out of trend and attract a large section of society simultaneously.