McDonald’s Russia Encourages (and Rewards) Eco Volunteers

June 30, 2021

McDonald’s Russia Encourages (and Rewards) Eco Volunteers 

Caring for our planet is its own reward…but a little incentive never hurts.

This year McDonald’s Russia organized environmental clean-up projects around the country in partnership with +1City project, a leading environmental advocacy platform, and rewarded volunteers with free menu items - redeemable through the McDonald’s app. This is just the first of McDonald’s Russia’s steps to integrate community impact opportunities with McDonald’s digital channels, incentivizing volunteers through a seamless and convenient platform.

The +1City application aggregates social and environmental volunteer opportunities by location, allowing users to identify nearby activities developed with support by McDonald’s and aligned with our sustainability priorities, from planting trees to picking up trash.

Under the category “Do Good with McDonald’s,” +1City users  can sign up for different McDonald’s volunteer opportunities every month in 170 cities in Russia with McDonald’s restaurants. Volunteers who post a photo or a link about the activity on social media earn a promo code for free menu items like coffee or a Big Mac®, redeemable through the McDonald’s app.

The real reward, sustainability leaders say, is increased environmental awareness and engagement in the communities McDonald’s Russia serves.

“For McDonald's, collaboration with + 1City is an opportunity to draw the attention of our visitors and employees to tasks that we can only solve together,” says Irina Korshunova, Senior Director of Quality and Sustainability at McDonald's Russia. “In addition, we are helping develop sustainable eco-habits among participants and move the business closer to meeting our sustainable development goals.” 

In fact, the idea for the partnership developed out of McDonald’s Russia’s corporate volunteering program. Last year, more than 3,000 corporate employees participated in the company’s #MyEcoDay event and collected more than 45 tons of waste in 52 cities.

For this year’s event, with more experience, employee and local community feedback and the +1City partnership, McDonald’s Russia aim to cover all regions where we are present in Russia and engage more than 90 cities and 5,000 participants. 

Importantly, while the partnership builds on McDonald’s Russia’s commitment to sustainability, a key aspect is integrating the use of McDonald’s digital channels to help incentivize volunteers and ultimately reach a larger audience to participate. 

In the next year or two, the market plans to expand the project by incorporating opportunities to “Do Good with McDonald’s” into the McDonald’s app itself for a seamless digital experience. Customers will be able to access an ecosystem of community organizations, sign up to volunteer and earn McDonald’s loyalty points through volunteer efforts all in one spot.  

We’ll take a free Big Mac® any day, but joining with customers to serve our communities is reward enough.

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