Day 008 - 07 Jul 94 - Page 14

     
     1        That report was, as we can see from the front,
              commissioned by and prepared for what is called the
     2        Corporate Responsibility Group, McDonald's Corporation,
              Oak Brook, Illinois, do you see that?
     3        A.  Yes, I do.
 
     4   Q.   Do you happen to know what the Corporate Responsibility
              Group was?
     5        A.  No, I do not.
 
     6   Q.   It does not exist any more?
              A.  No.
     7
         Q.   Do you happen to know, again as matter of history, what
     8        prompted McDonald's to commission this report?
              A.  What prompted our doing this report was the fact that
     9        the environmental issue was important, that at that time,
              in the early 70's, the use of paper was a fairly
    10        controversial subject and I think probably the number one
              issue for McDonald's during the early 70's was the use of
         paper, virgin paper, and the impact of taking trees away
              from the environment.
    12
              So, McDonald's wanted to take a look at this possible
    13        change and understand the impact and wanted to see if
              foam, which was a new package, it was a brand new thing,
    14        what would be the environmental impact of that decision.
 
    15   Q.   Can I ask you this:  Does McDonald's still feel that there
              are environmental concerns to be attended to in the use of
    16        paper?
              A.  Absolutely we do.  As an example of that, currently we
    17        are working with a leading environmental group called the
              Environmental Defense Fund on a project that we call the
    18        Paper Task Force.
 
    19   Q.   Paper Task Force?
              A.  Right.  Our whole goal with this project is to work
    20        with this environmental group and five other organisations
              to identify ways we can use our purchasing practices to
         purchase more environmentally preferable paper based
              products within our business.  That includes the whole
    22        spectrum.  That includes -- we are looking at forestry
              practices; we are looking at manufacturing practices; we
    23        are looking at recycling and composting impacts.  So we
              believe that the environment is a continuous improvement
    24        process.
 
    25   Q.   When this happens, you are considering examining and
              scrutinizing all these different issues, does this mean 
    26        Bob Langert puts on his walking shoes and goes out in the 
              forest to have a look? 
    27        A.  Yes, it does.
 
    28   Q.   Does it also mean you consult people who know about these
              topics?
    29        A.  That is what I consider to be -- one of the key
              components of my job responsibilities is to find sound
    30        signs and facts, absorb that, understand that, so that we
              can make our best decisions.