Small steps to big changes

McDonald's Serbia launched a platform called "Small steps to big changes", which includes all the company's projects and initiatives related to actions regarding climate change, protection of natural resources, waste reduction and the transition to sustainable packaging and toys, but also a series of volunteer and support actions for the local community. 

"We are active in the field of energy savings. Restaurants have an equipment inclusion plan. The goal is to turn on the equipment gradually and at the times when it is needed. In this way, the consumption of electricity is reduced. Energy consumption is also influenced by the equipment maintenance plan - by cleaning the condensers on the cooling devices. Restaurant air conditioning systems have energy recuperators. We use air extraction from the restaurant to reheat or cool the incoming air depending on the time of year and the outside temperature. That's how we save energy," said Desanka Landauer, marketing director at McDonald's Serbia. 

Since the beginning of its operations, McDonald's in Serbia has supported associations and institutions dealing with children. For two decades, the company has supported the KEC MNRO association, which takes care of young people with developmental disabilities, through the inclusion of young people who come to McDonald's restaurants once a week and help with certain tasks and socialise with employees and guests, thus feeling that they are part of the community. 

In the 36 years that the company has been operating in Serbia, more than 100 institutions and associations have been supported by donating money from "humanitarian banks", which are donations from guests of the McDonald's company. McDonald's also supported various educational, sports, health and cultural organisations with its financial donations. In addition, every month the company donates a certain amount of meals to vulnerable groups of our compatriots in all areas where it has restaurants. During all these years, McDonald's Serbia has donated more than 7,000 books and picture books to kindergartens, primary school libraries and city libraries. A large number of educational workshops were organised, scholarships were awarded to talented high school students and university students, and Pančić spruces were donated for the yards of 12 elementary schools throughout Serbia. 

As part of the Happy Readers program since 2019, within the Happy Meal offer, books on various topics are also available to children - over 350,000 books have been chosen by parents for their children over the past 5 years, and research shows that reading is important because it stimulates imagination, learning and understanding. 

Our club "Mek Volunteers" tries to participate in various socially useful and responsible actions every month, such as making jewellery and decorating a Christmas tree with young people from the Creative Education Center, the greening of city areas, support in the preparation of "Children's Play Day in Nature" workshops. 

The actions taken by the company - together with its partners and suppliers around the world enable support for local communities, despite unforeseen global challenges. Only together through support can we make the world we live in a better place for us and the generations to come. Only together with small steps can we achieve big changes.