McDonalds teams with charities to give away over 500K books this World Book Day

Research shows one in eight families do not own a book and as the UK’s largest distributor of free books, this World Book Day (3 March) McDonald’s is working to correct that. The restaurant company is teaming up with footballers, football clubs, community hubs and charities to get as many books as possible into the hands of families.

This includes partnering with The Raheem Sterling Foundation to donate 1,500 books to his Foundation centres in Manchester and London. McDonald’s is also teaming up with the Premier League Primary Stars campaign and BBC Children in Need to ensure groups, refuges, and community centres all over the UK can provide some of the hardest to reach families access to the joy of reading this World Book Day.

Visitors to the centres will be able to choose between Mr Silly: My Book About Me or There’s A Wolf In My Book by Tom Fletcher, which can also be collected exclusively in store at McDonald’s restaurants.

Clive Ellington, Chair of The Raheem Sterling Foundation says: “Through our work at the Foundation we want to give families resources they may not otherwise have access to, and reading is an important place to start.

“Reading and access to reading for enjoyment is so important, and we have great links to young people in Brent and Manchester to help distribute the books to families within these communities. This is a wonderful initiative to kick-start a promising partnership between McDonald’s and the Raheem Sterling Foundation.”

Louise Page, Head of Brand Communications and Partnerships at McDonalds, says: “Throughout the course of World Book Day, our restaurants and community partners will give out over half a million free books to families. We are so proud to partner with so many fantastic organisations to help distribute books to families across the UK.

“Story time is such an integral part of childhood and as children all over the country celebrate World Book Day in schools and nurseries, we want to ensure as many of them as possible have books at home to enjoy beyond today.”

McDonald’s is continuing its ongoing commitment to children’s literacy this year, by giving families and communities across the UK and Ireland access to more free books than ever. This marks the fourth year that McDonald’s has partnered with World Book Day, and the tenth anniversary of the Happy Readers scheme, which has seen over 110 million books given away in the UK.

This year, three is the magic number with up to three free books up for grabs. Families can choose between Mr Silly: My Book About Me, or There’s A Wolf In My Book by Tom Fletcher as well as receiving a free book with every Happy Meal thanks to the existing Book or Toy promotion – meaning families can walk out of restaurants with two books in hand to explore straight away. Plus, there will be a £1 token on every Happy Meal box (from 2–15 March), to help children continue their reading journey beyond World Book Day.

Reading for pleasure is the biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. However, it is in decline and at its lowest level since 2005. McDonald’s is on a mission to change this and help bring books to children who need them the most.

The Raheem Sterling Foundation looks to improve social mobility, further education, and empowerment in young people who may face challenges to reach their full potential, with a focus on seven key areas: education, employment, enterprise, creativity, personal development, accountability, and social mobility.

McDonald’s will also be donating thousands of books to 71 football clubs across the country so that wider communities can have invaluable, free access to reading resources. The books will be donated by Club Community Organisations to local schools as part of the Premier League Primary Stars campaign – a national curriculum-linked education programme that works with Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.

McDonald’s to scrap plastic toys from Happy Meals by 2021

McDonald’s has joined the fight against plastic waste having detailed plans to remove plastic toys from its Happy Meals from 2021.

In a press release, the company stated that from next year every Happy Meal in the UK will include either a soft toy, a paper-based toy or a book, as opposed to a toy made from non-recyclable plastic.

McDonald’s went on to state that the initiative will remove more than 3,000 metric tons of plastic from its business. It also marks the biggest reduction of plastic by McDonald’s UK and Ireland to date.

“We care passionately about the environment and are committed to reducing plastic across our business including within our Happy Meal,” said Gareth Helm, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of McDonald’s UK and Ireland.

“Families have high expectations of us and we’re working as hard as we can to give them the confidence that their Happy Meal is as sustainable as possible. Getting that right is a big responsibility, but we believe the changes we’re making today have the potential to make a big difference.”

From this month, McDonald’s is going to trial paper packaging for Happy Meals toys, the first time this has been done by the restaurant in the UK. From August, paper packaging will be used to wrap books in Happy Meals, a move which will help remove 200 tonnes of plastic from the business by 2021.

Later this year, McDonald’s will give customers the options to choose between a toy or a book with Happy Meals before it carries out a five week toy amnesty across the nation, asking for customers to return any unwanted plastic toys to restaurants.

The company will then recycle the plastic from the returned items to create play equipment for Ronald McDonald House Charities in the UK and Ireland.

Mr Men Little Miss launches into McDonald’s Happy Meals with reusable cup collection

Sanrio’s iconic Mr Men Little Miss brand has partnered with McDonald’s for a new Happy Meal promotion across the UK and Ireland, that brings its cast of characters to a line of reusable cups, tapping into the global sustainability movement.

This isn’t the first move from Sanrio to align itself with sustainability. The firm has told Licensing.biz that it has for the past number of years been working with partners – where possible – on sustainable ranges, such a its latest Carex deal for refillable pouches with Tesco.

The company will also be launching a Mr Men Go Green book this June, in which its character Little Miss Inventor cooks up a number of inventions to help her friends in Happyland be kinder to the planet.

It’s latest deal with McDonald’s will bring a collection of Mr Men Little Miss themed reusable, sustainable cups to the Happy Meal offering. The promotion will run from February 5th to March 17th.

It will see eight popular characters that kids can choose from and collect, while each Happy Meal box has received a makeover to feature Mr Tickle, Little Miss Sunshine, and Mr Bump.

The Mr. Men and Little Miss characters are even making a splash on TV with a new McDonald’s advert, as well as in store presence with a host of kids’ activities, including colouring sheets and balloons.

Sabrina Segalov, senior licensing manager at Sanrio, said: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with McDonald’s to the UK and introduce a new range of sustainable cups as the gift in each Happy Meal.”

McDonald’s taps into growing appetite for licensing with Joester Loria Group

The Joester Loria Group has partnered with McDonald’s Corporation to develop a portfolio of collaborations and collections of licensed products aimed of the McDonald’s brand lover across the globe.

The fast food restaurant brand has a long history of partnering with leading fashion brands and retailers which dates back to the 1980s. Last month, the corporation introduced its Golden Arches Unlimited online store, offering a selection of items and seasonal products.

“McDonald’s has been ingrained in the fabric of culture for years, and there’s a long history of fans wearing our brand with pride,” said Jen Landolt, senior director, global marketing at McDonald’s Corporation.

“We look forward to collaborating with great brands to deliver product that celebrates McDonald’s heritage and deep emotional connection with our customers.”

Joester Loria Group will work closely with the McDonald’s global marketing team to tap into the brand’s unique cache, popular characters, and iconic brand campaigns, with a focus on fashion, accessories and collectibles for adults. 

Look for episodic campaigns, pop up events, unexpected mash-ups and great product to launch in 2020.