Day 063 - 07 Dec 94 - Page 10

     
     1        disposable packaging was ever outlawed in any part of
     2        Switzerland?
     3
     4   MR. MORRIS:  Do you know that?
     5        A.  Not to my knowledge.
     6
     7   Q.   No, it was not outlawed?
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He does not know that it was outlawed.
    10        A.  Yes.  I know of no law against disposable materials.
    11
    12   MR. MORRIS:  It says at the bottom right-hand corner of
    13        page 711:  "We will keep you informed on the results of the
    14        Referendum".  The trouble is I have checked the Newsletters
    15        and I cannot find the results of the referendum.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, that is why I have suggested you ask the
    18        question.
    19
    20   MR. MORRIS:  It mentions that report by a Swiss company,
         Elektrowatt; that is the fifth blob on the left on page
    22        711.
    23        A.  Yes.
    24
    25   Q.   In response to this or to counter the move to end
    26        disposables.  I do not think I can go much further on that.
    27        While we are on these Newsletters, we might as well nip
    28        over to page 718 -- no, sorry, let us go back a bit first
    29        to 706:   Reusables versus disposable, issue March 1991, of
    30        the Environmental Newsletter.  It starts off:
    31         "Environmental groups and local governments have been
    32        putting pressure on McDonald's to switch to reusable dishes
    33        and, in cases, trying to enforce this by denying planning
    34        permission for new restaurants on these grounds.
    35
    36        Participants from countries that have had problems directly
    37        related to this issue met in Munich on 9 - 10 January 1991
    38        to share their experiences and produce a check list on how
    39        to deal with it."
    40
         Then it goes on to Sweden specifically:  "In October of
    42        last year the city of Moeindal (a suburb of Gothenburg)
    43        tried to restrict the opening of a new McDonald's store,
    44        stating that McDonald's could not generate or use more
    45        energy disposing of packaging than if using reusables."
    46        Then that was quashed.  That decision was quashed on
    47        8th February 1991 by the State County Board "because the
    48        law cited was not applicable to the restriction".  So there
    49        would seem to be a technical decision in McDonald's favour
    50        there. 
    51 
    52   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is that a statement of yours? 
    53
    54   MR. MORRIS:  It says in McDonald's own words "because the law
    55        cited was not applicable to the restriction".
    56
    57   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, that does not mean it is technical.  It
    58        means that the State County Board held, as I read it, that
    59        it was unlawful.
    60