McDonald's Korea unveiled their new crew uniforms for the first time in six years. This left thousands of old uniforms behind. After six years of service, McDonald's recognized that the clothing worn by the crew members held significance beyond merely being uniforms.

As a brand committed to sustainable sourcing and fostering respectful workplace and growth among the crews, McDonald's wanted to recycle these uniforms, rather than disposing, in a way that was both meaningful to the brand and harmless to the planet.

We aimed to transform the uniforms into something that would surpass the lifespan of regular clothes and hold significant meaning for those who used to own them - McDonald's crews.

We crafted trophies by leveraging technology that converts fabrics into construction panels. Each uniform, a reminder of the crew's hard work, was turned into unique trophies. The "McTrophy", the first trophy made of crew’s uniforms, retained the distinctive characteristics of the fiber while embodying the principle of closed-loop.

To unveil the McTrophy in a big way, we picked the McDonald's Korea's 35th anniversary as the D-Day. We invited dedicated crew members including managers of each branch, as well as McDonald's Korea's partners and journalists, to the event.

Each McTrophy served as a powerful symbol, representing the unwavering dedication and genuine passion exhibited by the crews during their long service to McDonald's. We designed the McTrophy to match the shape and colour of the actual uniforms that the crews had worn for years. Each McTrophy was engraved with the crew member's name and recognized their special efforts.

The overall execution was aimed at conveying the message that McDonald's celebrates and remembers the hard work of its crews in an innovative way.

We unveiled the McTrophies at the internal annual ceremony, to which employees and partners were invited. The McTrophies were then presented to crew members in recognition of their dedicated service in each area. Dozens of crew members from 14 different categories took home meaningful trophies made from their own uniforms to celebrate their hard work. They were honored in the presence of McDonald's Korea officials, crew members, and many of McDonald’s Korea’s partners.

We told the story of the McDonald's philosophy on employee management through numerous articles. We also highlighted the significance of the first trophy made out of uniforms, and congratulated the crews who received their McTrophies at the awards ceremony.

The McTrophy was very much appreciated by McDonald's crews. One of the winners of McTrophy, Lee Minjin, manager of McDonald's Busan Umgung DT, praised it by saying, "it's a trophy that contains the blood and sweat of the crews." Seo Moonsoo from McDonald's Sillim also shared his thoughts, saying that the McTrophy reminded him of the crews he worked with and gave him a sense of positive energy.

More than 90 press outlets covered the impact on both employment management and environment that McTrophy has brought. The Korea Herald lauded McTrophies, acknowledging that it expressed their gratitude to crews and managers who helped foster growth and development over the past 35 years. A total of 1.28 million impressions were generated throughout the McTrophy and recycling campaigns.

In creating McTrophies, we rescued 1 ton of old uniforms from ending up in landfills, which was equivalent to saving 25 tons of carbon dioxides. In recognition of the green practice, McDonald's Korea received an award from Korea's Minister of Environment.