2.28.2003 ET

(CSRwire) The public will now be able to become familiar, in more detail, with McDonald's corporate social responsibility concept, together with the initiatives developed McDonald's Brazil. After a year's work, divided between research and writing, the fast-food chain is issuing its first Social Report, which left the presses in two formats: full and condensed.

The full 54-page version, of which 3,500 copies were printed, will be distributed to government authorities, non-governmental organizations, journalists, and other opinion leaders. The condensed report, containing eight pages, was distributed to the 36,000 employees who work for the company in Brazil. Eighty-seven percent of them are young people between 16 and 21 years of age. Both versions of the report are available on the McDonald's Brazil Web site.

"Employees had priority in getting the Report, because they represent our main social project. McDonald's Brazil invests in the professional training of its personnel, in their continuing education, and in the development of citizens. And the company is proud to be the one hiring the largest number of young people in the country. It offers the dreamed-of 'first job'," says Marcel Fleischmann, president of the chain in Brazil.

Based on directives in the Guidelines for Preparation of Social Reports, put out by the Ethos Institute, McDonald's Report lists a series of initiatives taken by the company and its franchisees. These align with the four pillars of McDonald's Brazil - its Commitments to People, the Food Supply, the Community, and the Country.

Among the initiatives offered by the parent company, one could mention:

McDia Feliz (McHappy Day), a partnership with Instituto Ronald McDonald that has already raised over R$38 million for institutions dedicated to treating cancer in children and teenagers; A certification program, in partnership with the National Commercial Training Program (SENAC), which involves 2,100 McDonald's employees; The certification of the McLanche Feliz (Happy Meal) by the Pediatrics Society of São Paulo; and The incentive to company suppliers to carry out social and community work.

Among the owner-operator initiatives, the Social Report identifies a total of 49 specific activities related to citizenship and social assistance, sports, the environment, education, and culture. These projects focus on various groups, such as under-age children in risk situations, the visually-impaired, and the elderly. These initiatives include training courses, rehabilitation of green areas, donations of books, equipment, clothing, and toys, etc.

"Ray Kroc, our founder, used to say that we have to give back to the communities in which we operate. In Brazil, besides strictly complying with this rule, we are promoting a wider social responsibility concept in all the stores, departments, and among our business partners," comments Marcel Fleischmann. "By publishing the Social Report, we expect that our experience may serve as a reference point for other public groups, as well as other segments of society, encouraging them to exert their social responsibility vision as a primary tool for managing their businesses and exercising their role as citizens."