Holcim, McDonald's seal sustainability partnership

One of the country’s building solutions providers Holcim Philippines Inc. and fast food giant McDonald’s Philippines have teamed up to advance sustainability in the country with a partnership to accelerate decarbonization and circularity of their operations. 

The two firms are currently working together on sustainable waste management through Geocycle which converts qualified materials into alternative fuels and raw materials in cement production. 

Furthermore, Holcim Philippines and McDonald’s plan to collaborate on expanding the network of sustainable stores under its McDonald’s Green and Good platform, which is built and operated with a significantly lower environmental footprint.

Holcim and McDonald's will also explore the latter’s building solutions that have a lower carbon footprint and virgin raw material components to further raise the environmental performance of Green and Good stores. 

Since its launch in 2021, McDonald’s Green and Good stores use circular solutions such as recycled steel building frames and eco-pavers and bricks with shredded plastics to reduce the use of virgin natural resources.

Electric consumption is also more sustainable through solar panels, LED lights, smart aircon systems, low-power water heaters, and heat-reflective glass panels. 

Holcim Philippines, meanwhile, has a range of sustainable building solutions such as its low-carbon blended cement ECOPlanet.

The cement company is also set to expand its green offerings to include aggregates recycled from demolished concrete, aerated blocks that use less materials, and permeable concrete for rainwater harvesting systems. 

“We look forward to working with Holcim as we scale our Green and Good program. Together with partners like Holcim which continuously innovate to be better for the planet, we’ll be able to learn and integrate solutions as we grow and open more new stores. With every action that we take for the environment, we’re planting the seeds for a greener and more sustainable future,” Kenneth S. Yang, President & CEO of McDonald’s Philippines, said.

For his part, Holcim Philippines President and CEO Horia Adrian thanked McDonald’s for trusting Holcim to be its partner in expanding its Green and Good store network and further elevating the sustainability performance of these outlets.

“We are excited to see this partnership further drive our organizations’ sustainability performance and positive impact on the environment,” Adrian said. 

Holcim Philippines has consistently demonstrated its commitment to making a positive impact while growing its business. In 2023, the company launched new blended cement with a lower environmental footprint while delivering excellent building performance.

It accelerated digitalization across operations for greater resource efficiency highlighted by a 12 percent reduction in freshwater withdrawals.sources.  

Through Geocycle, Holcim Philippines is among the pioneers of co-processing, a government-approved and globally-recognized waste management technology that repurposes qualified discarded materials into alternative low-carbon fuels and raw materials in making cement. 

Geocycle has 71 city and municipal government partners across the country as more communities seek ways to reduce waste sent to landfills.

Also, Geocycle welcomed more industrial partners in 2023 as manufacturers embraced solutions for their plastic wastes in compliance with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Law.