April 15, 2002

A joint initiative of McDonald's Corporation and the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business at Conservation International

McDonald's Corporation and Conservation International share a history of working together to improve the environment in which we live. Our past joint initiatives include a five-year sustainable agriculture project, AMISCONDE, in Costa Rica and Panama and an educational Happy Meal premium entitled, Discover the Rain Forest. Our current efforts focus on integrating conservation and sustainable agriculture into McDonald's global food supply chain.

2. Assessment of McDonald's Food Purchases and Associated Environmental Impacts: Development of an internal assessment which provides an overview of McDonald's key commodities and their environmental impacts. This assessment enables the partnership to set priorities for subsequent work.

3. Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture Guidelines for Food Sourcing: Establishment of guidelines that express preference for food product purchasing that integrate principles of sustainable agriculture and conservation to ensure a net benefit for people, the environment, and the economy.

4. Fish Production and Conservation Project: Assessment of current fishing practices to identify actions that will help McDonald's suppliers and the industry protect and enhance marine biodiversity. The project will include recommendations for purchasing guidelines.

5. Supplier Sustainability Measurement System: Development of a software-based tool, utilizing the Conservation and Sustainable Agriculture Guidelines, that enables suppliers to integrate recommended practices into their business and to establish their baseline performance for subsequent progress evaluation. This system will allow McDonald's to measure and report the company's progress towards integrating sustainability throughout its business.

CONTACT

Jason Anderson CELB (202)912-1464