Day 009 - 08 Jul 94 - Page 39


     
     1        and some of it is likely to end up in the sea, in lakes,
              in the wild?
     2        A.  It disturbs me greatly when I see polystyrene, any of
              our packaging, or anybody else's waste, either on the
     3        streets or in the oceans, I think it is absolutely
              deplorable that people do that both on land and on sea.
     4
         Q.   But why do you continue to use foam for your breakfast
     5        materials?
              A.  We see it as the best package alternative available at
     6        this point in time from all perspectives, including the
              environment.
     7
         Q.   You cannot be looking at it from an environmental
     8        perspective or you would stop using it?
              A.  No, we have looked at it in depth from an
     9        environmental perspective.
 
    10   Q.   I think you told us before that when you switched to
              sandwich wraps, the reason for that was they were found to
    11        be environmentally preferable to foam?
              A.  That is what we found absolutely correct, but to
    12        switch breakfast is a totally different issue.  When we
              made the switch, one thing we did not explain in detail is
    13        that we did switch some of our breakfast packaging to
              paper wraps. That which can be put in wraps, we are
    14        wrapping.  So, for instance, an egg McMuffin:  It used to
              come in a polystyrene foam container in the United
    15        States.  Today that is a hand held sandwich that we do put
              into our new wraps.  Scrambled eggs with a hash brown is
    16        something we cannot put in a wrap.  We use a breakfast
              tray and a lid and that is made with polystyrene foam.
    17
         Q.   You think it is more important to serve your scrambled
    18        eggs and hash browns than it is that this packaging might
              be having a detrimental effect on the environment?
    19        A.  No, that is not how I feel.  What we looked at is,
              what can we put this meal into?  So, you have to take a
    20        look at the range of packaging options that are
              available.  The two predominant, there are really two
    21        options of which to put that meal on in our business.  One
              is a polystyrene foam tray, the other one would be a paper
    22        board --  I underscore the word paper board -- a paper
              board tray.  The reason that we have not done that is
    23        that, environmentally, we have looked at the full life
              cycle studies that have been performed, comparing one
    24        versus the other, and they come out clearly in favour of
              foam.
    25
              Because, remember that our polystyrene foam tray probably 
    26        weighs seven grammes or so.  As replacement paper board 
              container, which by the way would have to be coded by 
    27        plastic, so it would be a plastic coding, would weigh
              somewhere in the vicinity of 17 grammes.  We studied this
    28        issue with the Environmental Defence Fund also.  They also
              concluded at least at this point in time in our history
    29        there is not a commercially available material that is
              better than what we are using.  We are committed; as soon
    30        as we find something better, we want to switch.
 

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