McDonald's rolls out 'green' logo in Europe

Oak Brook, Ill. McDonald’s Corp. said Monday it is swapping its traditional red backdrop for a deep hunter green to promote a more eco-friendly image in Europe.

According to the quick-serve chain, about 100 German McDonald's restaurants will make the change by the end of 2009. Some franchises in Great Britain and France have already started using the new color scheme.

"This is not only a German initiative but a Europe-wide initiative," Martin Nowicki, McDonald's Germany spokesman, told The Associated Press.

McDonald’s has more than 32,000 restaurants in 118 countries and has long been targeted by activists as being environmentally unfriendly.

Still, in recent years the company has warmed to "greener" practices, including environmentally friendly refrigeration and converting used oil into biodiesel fuel.

"With this new appearance we want to clarify our responsibility for the preservation of natural resources. In the future we will put an even larger focus on that," Hoger Beek, vice chairman of McDonald's Germany, said in the statement.

In Germany, McDonald's has seen significant growth despite the global economic crisis, opening 42 new restaurants this year for a total of 1,350.

The chain plans to open another 40 new restaurants across Germany in 2010, encouraged by a worldwide revenue of $23.5 billion.