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By Kent Larsen
Like Old Clamshell, New Big Mac Container Made by Mormon Firm
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND -- About 30 years after Jon Huntsman's Huntsman Chemical
Corporation manufactured the first McDonald Big Mac Clamshell container,
another Mormon-run firm is making a new container for the sandwich.
Baltimore, Maryland-based EarthShell Corp., is just weeks away from
completing McDonald's validation testing on the new container. But this
time, the container isn't likely to be criticized for its effect on the
environment.
EarthShell, headed by LDS Church member Simon K. Hodson, designs and
manufactures environmentally preferable foodservice packaging. Its new
EarthShell Big Mac Sandwich Containers are designed to meet McDonald's now
stringent requirements. McDonalds was criticized in the 1980s for the
previous, Huntsman-produced clamshell because environmental activists said
it did not degrade in landfills.
The new EarthShell container is made from a proprietary composite material
primarily composed of limestone and recycled starch. It also includes PCW
fiber from recycled school milk cartons and juice boxes. The company claims
its material is strong and insulates well, yet biodegrades in marine and
composting environments. The packaging also uses less energy to manufacture
and results in low greenhouse gas emissions.
The containers are currently in use in 128 McDonalds restaurants and the
final validation test batch has been shipped to restaurants in the Chicago
area. When the validation tests are complete in about two weeks, McDonalds
is expected to greatly expand its use of the produ
ct.
Source:
EarthShell Sandwich Containers to Enter Final Validation for McDonald's Big Mac
Yahoo! News (Business Wire) 30Oct00 B2
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