McDonald’s Going Green(washing) With New Logo
Jan 8th, 2010 by Will Potter
McDonald’s has rolled out a new logo in France, replacing the iconic red background of the golden arches with green. Here’s some info from ZLOK design blog, and here is where I saw the story originally (although I can barely stumble through the French!), at TerraEco.net.
There has been so much fluff news lately about “easy ways to go green.” You know what’s an even easier way to go green? Changing a logo. And adding some hippies into your advertisements! If anyone has friends in France, I would love to hear more about how this transparent green-washing has been received there.
News like this is a little bit outside the normal content of the website, but I think it’s striking how environmental activists are the “number one domestic terrorist threat” at a time when nasty, multinational corporations are simultaneously climbing all over each other to appear “green.”
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“News like this is a little bit outside the normal content of the website…”
I don't think it's unfitting for this website at all. Besides, the more often you post content the more followers you'll have and that's kind of the whole point, right? And it's always a good idea to keep track of the devious tactics and propaganda of multi-national monsters such as McD's so that we can call them out on their bullshit.
the recent taco bell adds fall into this pattern too (the fast food 'diet')
This topic is perfectly in line! It's just more corporate mumbo-jingo. More of the same… Representing themselves as the illusion that consumers love to gobble up. Ah, the safety of the beguiling lies!
Right on, Will — posting this was a good call. Corporations and special interest groups writing legislation intent on persecuting and imprisoning legitimate 'greenies' doesn't take their agenda far enough. They are obligated to take it a giant leap further so that an ignorant and apathetic public believes they are benevolent.
“For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14)
Hi Will !
I'm a french fan of your work. Your website helps me a lot for a work I have to do to obtain my master degree of environmental law (I write a text about eco-warriors and how they are treated by the law in France and in United States).
That's for the thanks. Now, to come back on the subject of the article, Mc Donald says this change of colour is not to “look” green, It's just aesthetic. But I'm sure it is also to really look more “green” because at the same time, they do a massive propaganda where they say they use used oil, recycled paper and cardboard etc.
I cannot tell you exactly if french people globally believe them but personally, I think if it's potentially true in France, Mc Donald is just making “greenwashing” because they had some problems with environmentalist movement in the past (I think about the farmer José Bové, I don't know if you have heard about him). But in countries where people have too much others problems to be environmental-minded, I don't think they are so “green”.
@Damced:
Thank you for the note. I'm very glad the site has been useful in your legal studies, and I am always excited to learn that people abroad have seen the website.
I spoke with Anne at TerraEco and she said that McDonald's had told her the same thing, that is was not part of a “Green” campaign. Perhaps, as you noted, McDonald's is not being as overt about this, considering the history in France with Jose Bove, and nearby in England with the McLibel suit.
I don’t know how people are reacting to this new logo, but for myself, while I consider the gold on red logo as one of the symbols evil, this new one is just ugly. From a purely aesthetic point of view, it is unappetizing.
This offends me as a Nirvana fan! It goes without saying it is green-washing. It should be said “Come As You Are” is a song from Nirvana's “Nevermind” album, which was released in 1992. It should stay on the album – never in a McDonald's advertisement.
Hello Will,
I'm not a great fan of fast food and I was 12 the last time I went to “MacDo”, as the French say (maybe in the US, it 's the same…?). But I've heard about this new logo (especially thanks to Terraeco, which, by the way, made me discover your wonderful blog). Macdo may no want to “appear green” by changing its logo, but the French official website seems to say the opposite. http://www.mcdonalds.fr/#/environment-home/edit... I don't know if your understand French (I have not read all your articles yet), but to sum up, it deals with Macdo's amazing efforts to surpass Kyoto targets and become the first green corporation in the whole world (well, maybe not the whole world…).
Macdo simply forgot to add that “in spite of remarkable work to reduce plastic consumption, recycling is not that easy, because food is still fatty and oily, which prevents its packaging from being recycled.
But let's be nicer with Macdo France : I took a look at other national websites, such as the Finnish and the Swedish ones (both being the best green countries!), and anything but a word about “protecting the environment”. so, God save Macdo France?
Just like p bachand Said: this fits to the overall new line, just like McDonald's does in Europe. as i can see mcdonalds is trying to give its fast food a healthy new look in austria (where i am from), also in germany and neighbor-countries. it is terrible to see on one hand the healthy cows and good bio-patatos which mcdonalds uses and on the other hand that austria has one of the highest percentages on kids suffering to adipositas. bit on their commercials they show green gras, mountains, happy cows and good people “proofing” good quality on fields and stables. this is called “mcdonalds quality scouts” and in my opinion a joke but it is normal. also the austrian meat control institution AMA is broadcasting (translated) “meat does it!!!!”, so i think mcdonalds is just following a general trend.
McDonalds changing their logo from red to green? Green truly is the new red.
“I think it’s striking how environmental activists are the “number one domestic terrorist threat” at a time when nasty, multinational corporations are simultaneously climbing all over each other to appear “green.” “
I think “appear” is the key word. The corporate world knows that green is cutting edge, exciting, and what people aspire to be, but the actualities of achieving green-ness are too difficult and too expensive.
Also, Anneso – we don't use the term MacDo here, and we definitely don't say stuff like: “let's be nicer to Macdo”. Animal agriculture inflicts massive amounts of harm to the environment, so until MacDo goes veg they will always be part of the problem.
http://liberationbc.org/issues/environment
http://www.mccruelty.com/