A YOUNG boy, passionate about the environment, wrote to McDonald’s asking them to stop using so much plastic in Happy Meal toys...and the fast-food giant wrote back saying it would!

Jacob Douglas, eight, of Gippeswyk, Basildon, wrote the open letter to McDonald’s telling them the excess plastic was “affecting the world around us”.


Campaigning - Jacob's letter

Kirsty Douglas, Jacob’s mum, says her son, who attends Willows Primary School, Basildon, has been passionate about the environment for some time.

She said: “Jacob loves animals, including polar bears, and we’ve been doing things like swapping shower gels for soaps for a while, and he was thinking about what more he could do, so he thought about getting in touch with McDonald’s as they’re a huge company which could make a big difference.

"We hope that by making it an open letter it will make more people environmentally aware and encourage others to do the same.”

In a response to Jacob’s letter, a McDonald’s spokesman thanked Jacob for his letter and said: “We are very impressed by how passionate he is about protecting the environment, and would like to assure him that we are also passionate about doing our bit to protect the environment for generations to come.

“On Happy Meal toys, we are proud that our restaurants are places that families like to go and eat, and our Happy Meal is part of the enjoyment for customers.

“However, we fully understand that Jacob would like us to think about using different materials for our toys.

"And McDonald’s is looking at alternatives that will keep our Happy Meals fun without causing damage to our environment.

"In the coming months, customers will start seeing more books, board games and soft toys in our Happy Meals - which will see a near 60 per cent reduction in the number of hard plastic toys given away in comparison to the first half of the year.

"We hope this reassures Jacob we are working hard to reduce our impact on the environment.”