McDonald’s has opened a net-zero carbon restaurant in England that will act as a blueprint for future restaurants, an industry first

Treehugger.org reported on a McDonald's restaurant built in England "which is one of the first to account for embodied carbon—the upfront carbon that is emitted in the construction of the restaurant—as well as the operating emissions."*  They lowered carbon emissions during construction by using various recycled materials, including appliances:
"The walls were insulated with sheep wool and clad with metal made from recycled IT equipment and "white goods": washers, fridges, and stoves, along with sustainably sourced poplar and plastic cladding made from recycled plastic bottles. The internal parapets on the roof, which nobody sees, are apparently made from recycled toasters and blenders. Instead of the usual aluminum commercial windows, it has used sustainably sourced timber. 
A thousand concrete curbs were replaced with Durakerbs made out of plastic bottles, and the drive-thru lane is paved with recycled tires." 
Operating emissions were reduced by installing solar panels as well as wind turbines.  Author Lloyd Alter described this as an impressive first step toward sustainable construction.

*https://www.treehugger.com/mcdonalds-net-zero-restaurant-uk-5220187?utm_campaign=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=26850509&utm_term=