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In a bid to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, McDonald's will start selling Rainforest Alliance-certified espresso and Marine Stewardship Council-certified fish sandwiches. "We feel there's a tipping point coming. We see the consumer starting to care. Consumer expectations are rising," explains Bob Langert, vice president of sustainability for McDonald's

McDonald's purchases 2.5% of all the beef produced in the European Union alone-is a key player in the launch of two sustainable beef pilot programs in the U.S. One will attempt to measure beef sustainability through the entire supply chain in a research initiative conducted by the Noble Foundation. The other is a $4.5 million matching grant program run by a group of researchers to test grazing practices that can lead to a negative carbon impact.

Fast-food giant McDonald's today is announcing new standards for the chicken supplied to its 14,000 U.S. restaurants. While the company isn't going antibiotic-free, McDonald's plans within two years to sell only chicken "raised without antibiotics that are important to human medicine," according to a statement provided to GreenBiz.

McDonald's announcement that it would transition to using cage-free eggs in its food was designed to appeal to socially conscious consumers -- but the fast-food giant will need a more holistic approach to succeed, writes Phil Lempert. "Just using cage-free eggs in an Egg McMuffin ... really doesn't change much about the sandwich," he notes. 

Shareholder pressure to phase out Styrofoam has not kept McDonald's from using foam cups in several Chicago-area restaurants this summer, though the company would not say where else it may be using them. The chain said it continues "to work with our suppliers on sustainable packaging options that reduce our sourcing footprint and positively impact the communities we serve."

McDonald's is launching a campaign promoting its sustainable fish farming practices in preparation for the increased number of Filet-o-Fish sandwiches the company sells during Lent. Commercials highlight suppliers' fishing processes in the Gulf of Alaska.

The size of McDonald's and its global footprint will drive changes in the food chain as the company moves toward cage-free eggs and local, sustainable ingredients, said CEO Steve Easterbrook. A Fortune reporter goes behind the scenes at farms and production facilities to explore cage-free egg production and what goes in to increasing the supply.

As one of the country's largest Canadian beef purchasers, McDonald's Canada, through the Pilot tracked the journey of nearly 9,000 head of Canadian cattle, or the equivalent of 2.4 million patties. The cattle spent their entire lives, from 'birth to burger', raised on or handled by verified sustainable operations.

The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, a group helping food and drink companies to achieve sustainable production and sourcing of agricultural raw materials whose members include McDonald's Europe and Unilever, has announced the development of its Principles for Sustainable Beef Farming, what it is calling the most complete guidelines developed for beef production to date.

Two of the world's most iconic food and beverage brands have launched ambitious initiatives aimed at significantly reducing waste and increasing the recycled and biobased content of their packaging. Together, they mark the acceleration of a yearslong war on waste.

In a recent GreenBiz webcast, a panel of experts - including strategists from General MIlls, Kering and McDonald's - explained why going big on sustainability goals is increasingly a smart business strategy, as well as a good stewardship policy. They discussed the intersection of today's major frameworks, such as science-driven goal setting, the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTI), planetary boundaries, Sustainable Development Goals, and more, and provided concrete business cases from several organizations on how they are conducting this transition.

McDonald's is offering 100% organic beef hamburgers sourced from organic farms for a limited time in Germany. The company's new offering will be available from Oct. 1 to Nov. 18.

Sustainable Agriculture Initiative publishes new guidelines designed to help cut the environmental impact of beef production

GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) announced this week that McDonald's USA is the newest participant in its How2Recycle Label Program. A member of the SPC since 2005, McDonald's is the first national restaurant chain to join How2Recycle, a program dedicated to clearly and consistently communicating recyclability to the public.

Today, McDonald's announces that it will begin purchasing verified sustainable beef in 2016, the first step on a quest to purchase sustainable beef for all of its burgers worldwide.

McDonald's today announced its "2014 Best of Sustainable Supply" winners in a report highlighting how suppliers achieved significant results by identifying opportunities and applying sustainable solutions in diverse places around the world.

Today, in São Paulo, a group representing the global beef industry is taking a big step forward in the quest for sustainable beef. The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is formally approving the "principles and criteria" that will drive sustainable beef standards around the world.

You've heard about sustainable beef, but the fast food giant is focusing its European supply chain sustainability efforts on packaging.