McDonald’s Portugal Recycles Old Crew Uniforms into Reusable Bags

Last year, the restaurant chain in Portugal debuted brand-new crew uniforms for more than 9,500 employees. But there was the question of what to do with the old uniforms – more than 18,000 – across the country.

The company had the idea to give the garments a new life by transforming them into reusable tote bags. As reported, the recycling process involved several key players from across McDonald’s Portugal’s supply chain. Logistics partner HAVI collected more than 18,000 old uniforms from restaurants throughout the country while Recutex – Reclaimed Textiles transformed the clothing through various stages, including sorting the materials and spinning new fabric without introducing any dyes. Finally, HR Group – the partner responsible for producing the new uniforms – created reusable tote bags. 5,500 of these products were packed with comfort kits and delivered to families and their children staying at seven hospitals across Portugal. Continuing the momentum in 2023, McDonald’s Portugal extended the recycling project – this time as a pilot merchandising campaign for MyMcDonald’s Rewards.

(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 2/2023, Page 21, Photo: McDonald’s Corporation)