McDonald’s in Austria found itself in a (hamburger) pickle after it recently switched to paper straws — what to do with all its old plastic ones?
The answer? A swimwear range in the burger chain’s iconic yellow and red!
According to a statement on the Macca’s website, the range includes a one-piece women’s swimsuit and men’s swim shorts which are “made from upcycled fabric that’s a mix of recycled McDonald’s plastic straws and post-consumer plastic waste reclaimed from the ocean”.
Arguably, you’ll need to steer clear of eating too many Big Macs if you want to squeeze into one.
The idea for the range came from Virtue, the Vice-owned agency, while local label Poleit designed the limited-edition collection which the company says will be “raffled off”. Although details of the actual raffle and where they money goes remains a little vague.
McDonald’s Austria marketing director Benedikt Böcker commented: “We are delighted about our unique sustainable swimwear collection made from recycled material in our classic straw design.
“I appreciate the close and long-term cooperation with Virtue as our local agency partner in Vienna. Together we create unique projects and set new milestones in our sustainability communication,” Böcker said.
To help reduce waste even further, the new paper straws will only be issued at the restaurants on request. Like the beverage cups, the paper straws can also be disposed of in the restaurants or at home with the regular wastepaper, helping to contribute to a sustainable circular economy.
