McDonald's Japan: Discontinuing Paper Straws, Replacing with Strawless Lids; Takeout Bags Must Contain 95% Bio-based Plastic
On October 27, 2025, McDonald's Japan (headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo) announced that, as part of its efforts to reduce virgin plastics, it will gradually replace paper cup lids for cold drinks with strawless lids made of recycled PET material starting November 19 (Wednesday), and will promote this at its stores nationwide.
In addition, takeout bags containing 95% bio-based plastic, which were first introduced in Nagasaki Prefecture in May 2025, will also be gradually rolled out at McDonald's stores nationwide.
McDonald's has pledged to replace all customer-facing containers with renewable, recycled, or certified materials by the end of 2025, and has been optimizing various container packaging since 2022. This commitment is progressing smoothly, and through changes in container packaging materials between 2022 and 2025, it is expected to reduce virgin plastics by approximately 6,600 tons annually.
Full implementation of 100% recycled PET strawless cup lids, discontinuing the provision of paper straws
The newly launched strawless cup lids are the result of over three years of research and development, designed to accommodate various usage scenarios such as in-store drinking, delivery, and drive-thru services while reducing environmental impact. Made from 100% recycled PET material (from recycled PET bottles through crushing, cleaning, and sterilization), the lids allow for easy drinking without straws, are easy to open, and prevent leakage caused by accidental opening during delivery.Furthermore, their design prevents carbonated beverages from splashing due to internal pressure caused by vibration during delivery. With the implementation of strawless cup lids, paper straws will be gradually phased out.
McDonald's to Gradually Implement New Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags Nationwide
Starting November 19th (Wednesday), McDonald's nationwide will gradually replace its shopping bags with those made from 95% bio-based plastics. These bags were first tested in 23 stores across Nagasaki Prefecture (excluding the Sasebo base store) in May 2025, and their durability and feel were confirmed to be consistent with the previously used bags containing 50% bio-based plastics.
Customers can participate in this environmental initiative without additional payment. To further reduce environmental impact, McDonald's continues to encourage customers to inform customers when they do not need a shopping bag, supporting simplified packaging.
Happy Meal® Books and Toys Fully Equipped with Sustainable Materials McDonald's has committed to replacing all Happy Meal toys with sustainable materials such as renewable, recycled, or certified materials by the end of 2025.
The "Book Happy Meal," launching in March 2025, features upgraded materials for both the books and their packaging. Previously, the picture books used hardcover designs containing virgin plastic. Now, they have been replaced with FSC® certified (FSC® N004151) paper softcovers. All picture books no longer use virgin plastic and are made entirely of sustainable materials. The picture book packaging has also been changed from plastic to FSC-certified paper bags. Customer-facing container packaging improvement timeline:
October 2022: Optimization of some container materials;
December 2023: Packaging material iteration;
November 2024: Progress in container and packaging improvements;
December 2024: Further optimization of packaging materials;
May 2025: Nagasaki Prefecture pilots 95% bio-based plastic shopping bags; June 2025: Some containers replaced with FSC-certified paper materials;
September 2025: Continuous upgrade of packaging materials;
October 2025: Material switch completed for some containers;
November 2025: Nationwide promotion of strawless cup lids and 95% bio-based plastic shopping bags.
