McDonald's Corp
McDonald's's GHG Emissions Data Preview
In 2024, McDonald's completed a corporate carbon footprint assessment and publicly disclosed its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to the GHG Protocol, covering Scope 1 (direct emissions from owned or controlled sources), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased energy) and Scope 3 (indirect emissions across the value chain).
However, McDonald's has not published a category-level breakdown of its Scope 3 emissions, limiting visibility into specific value chain sources.
| Metric (tCO2e) | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 - 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Total Scope 1 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  a | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  b | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  c | 0000000 |
Total Scope 2 | ||||
Market-Based | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  a | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  b | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  c | 0000000 |
Location-Based | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data. | 0000000 |
Total Scope 3 | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  a | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  b | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  c | 0000000 |
Total Scope 1 Revenue Intensity (tCO2e/$M) | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  a | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  b | Copy restricted. Please purchase to unlock this data.  c | 0000000 |
Verified Sources Behind McDonald's’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Data
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Insights into McDonald's's Operational Emissions
In 2024, the total operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of McDonald's amounted to 212,567 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. This figure includes both direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased energy (Scope 2). a
Compared to 2023, the total operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of McDonald's decreased by 34.64%, showing that the company has made progress in taking action to reduce the climate impact of its operations. a b
McDonald's's Scope 1 Emissions Over Time
- Total Scope 1
- Year-over-Year Change
What are McDonald's's Scope 1 emissions?
In 2024, the total Scope 1 emissions of McDonald's were 94,233 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e). a
Has McDonald's reduced its Scope 1 emissions over time?
Since 2018, McDonald's's Scope 1 emissions have decreased by 11.9%, reflecting a declining long-term trend in Scope 1 emissions over time. a
Compared to the previous year (2023), McDonald's's Scope 1 emissions decreased by 6.02%, highlighting the company's efforts to lower direct emissions from assets it owns or controls. a b
What are McDonald's's Scope 2 emissions?
In 2024, McDonald's reported Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 118,334 tCO₂e using the market-based method. a
Has McDonald's reduced its Scope 2 emissions over time?
Compared to the previous year (2023), McDonald's's Scope 2 emissions (Market-Based) fell by 47.4% in 2024, showing that the company has made progress in taking action to reduce the climate impact of its energy consumption. a b
What methodology does McDonald's use for Scope 2 reporting?
In 2024, McDonald's reported its Scope 2 emissions using the market-based method. a
McDonald's's Scope 2 Emissions Over Time
- Total Scope 2 Location-Based
- Total Scope 2 Market-Based
Insights into McDonald's's Value Chain Emissions
In 2024, McDonald's reported 60,245,138 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, representing indirect emissions across its upstream and downstream value chain. a
The 2024 disclosure of McDonald's includes a breakdown across 0 of the 15 Scope 3 categories defined by the GHG Protocol, matching the level of disclosure in 2023, demonstrating consistent Scope 3 emissions reporting coverage year over year. a
McDonald's's Scope 3 Emissions Over Time
- Total Scope 3
- Year-over-Year Change
What are McDonald's's Scope 3 emissions?
In 2024, McDonald's reported total Scope 3 emissions of 60,245,138 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e). a
Has McDonald's reduced its Scope 3 emissions over time?
Since 2018, McDonald's's Scope 3 emissions have remained relatively stable, indicating that McDonald's 's emissions have plateaued with no significant change in its value chain footprint. a
Compared to the previous year (2023), McDonald's's Scope 3 emissions remained relatively stable, indicating that McDonald's 's emissions have plateaued with no significant change in its value chain footprint. a b
Insights into McDonald's’s GHG Emissions Intensity Compared to Industry Peers
In 2024, McDonald's reported Scope 1 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of 94,233 tCO₂e and total revenues of USD 25,920 millions. This translates into an emissions intensity of 3.64 tCO₂e per millions USD. a
McDonald's's Scope 1 Emissions Intensity Compared to Peers
How does McDonald's's GHG emissions intensity compare to its peers?
In 2024, McDonald's reported a Scope 1 emissions intensity of 3.64 tCO₂e per millions USD. Compared to the peer group median of 8.65 , this places the company below its industry benchmark, indicating it is more carbon-efficient than most competitors. a
Where does McDonald's rank on GHG emissions intensity within its industry?
In 2024, McDonald's ranked 7 out of 24 companies in its industry peer group, based on Scope 1 emissions intensity (measured in tCO₂e per millions USD). a
McDonald's is therefore positioned in the mid-range of its industry, neither a clear leader nor a laggard in carbon efficiency. a
Insights into McDonald's's Total Carbon Footprint
In 2024, McDonald's reported a total carbon footprint of 60,457,705 metric tons of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) across Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions. This represents a 0.34% increase compared to 2023, suggesting a rise in emissions across its operations or value chain. a b
The largest contributor to McDonald's's total carbon footprint was Scope 3 emissions, accounting for 99.65% of the company's total carbon footprint, followed by Scope 2 emissions at 0.2%. a