A photo illustration of a Happy Meal at McDonald's.
A photo illustration of a Happy Meal at McDonald's.

McDonalds announced Tuesday its dedication to making Happy Meal Toys fully sustainable worldwide by 2025.

The transition will change plastic toys into crafts, puzzles, and games made from certified materials like bio-based and plant-derived materials and certified fiber. This will be the latest evolution to Happy Meals, which started in 1979.

“Our next generation of customers care deeply about protecting the planet and what we can do to help make our business more sustainable. We’re always exploring where we can drive greater impact, including the transformation of beloved icons like the Happy Meal,” said Jenny McColloch, McDonald’s Chief Sustainability Officer in the press release.

Consumers want to see eco-friendlier products being used to tackle the over-use of plastic. Amy Murray the vice president of global marketing said during a briefing that children and parents have been asking for the transition.

“With this transition for our toys, we’re working closely with suppliers, families, and play experts and engineers to introduce more sustainable, innovative designs and help drive demand for recycled materials, to keep McDonald’s communities and beyond smiling for generations to come,” McColloch said.

In 2019, a petition was started by two British children that gained major attention. The petition asked McDonald's and Burger King to stop giving out plastic toys that gained over 500,000 signatures. This helped push the companies to realize the demand for the change.

The fast-food chain says that if the goal is achieved this will result in a 90% reduction in virgin fossil fuel-based plastic used in toys since 2018. Mcdonald's sells more than one billion Happy Meal toys a year, the change comes with following the consumer demand for the toys while also keeping getting rid of plastic in mind.

“By reducing conventional virgin plastic inputs by a projected 90%, the re-imagined toys will reduce the demand on fossil fuel plastic production to instead create new markets for responsibly-sourced renewable and recycled content. And through its immense reach of these toys, McDonald's can engage its millions of daily customers around the world in the transition to a more sustainable, circular future," said Sheila Bonini, Senior Vice President, Private Sector Engagement at World Wildlife Fund said in the press release.