Day 009 - 08 Jul 94 - Page 76
1
Q. May I characterise this as another example of McDonald's
2 using its muscle in the market to move in a direction
which it thinks is desirable?
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. Or to get the market to move in that direction?
A. We felt that was very important to use our purchasing
5 clout to create the demand for recycled materials.
6 Q. A few further questions, two in fact. The Montreal
Protocol -- my Lord, I do it through this witness because
7 it is convenient at the moment; I am really giving some
evidence. I hope your Lordship will not mind. I am going
8 to put the thing in this way. So far as you can recall,
Mr. Langert, were the phase-out periods under the first
9 Montreal Protocol in 1987 something like this, that there
would be a freeze in 1989; they would be frozen, the
10 levels of use that is, at 1986 levels; that by 1994 (that
is the year we are in now) consumption should be reduced
11 by 20 per cent; by 1999, this is of CFCs remember,
consumption to be cut 30 per cent more, that is to say by
12 50 per cent of the 1986 total. Are those the figures
which, broadly speaking, you can remember from that time?
13 A. That is my memory of the situation at that time.
14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: They are all set out somewhere?
15 MR. RAMPTON: I have not the convention. I am hoping that
Professor Duxbury will be able to get the actual figures
16 for us on Tuesday. Is it also right, tell us if you
cannot remember, that there was an exception for
17 developing nations who were actually being allowed to
increase consumption under the protocol?
18 A. I also recall that, correct.
19 Q. One final question Mr. Langert you told us of McToxics
campaign which you said was the only hostile campaign in
20 the United States that you could remember, yes?
A. Yes.
21
Q. You said that what it did was to spread information about
22 polystyrene foam, yes?
A. Yes.
23
Q. Can I ask you this. Not in point of its literary merit
24 but in point of its factual accuracy, what does the
quality of that information that McToxic was spreading at
25 that time?
A. It was extremely inaccurate.
26
Q. In what sorts of ways that you can remember?
27 A. Well, first of all, in terms of the technical
information what polystyrene is, how it is made, what its
28 impact are is very inaccurate in terms of McDonald's
efforts in recycling the polystyrene, in our approach on
29 developing, you know, recycling systems for polystyrene.
30 MR. RAMPTON: Thank you very much, Mr. Langert. Does your
Lordship have any further questions?
