McDonald's has announced plans to purchase only sustainable beef, but the process will take a while.
Officials say the restaurant will source its beef from all sustainable sources at least by 2016, CNBC reported.
"Our goal is to purchase sustainable beef by 2016," Becca Hary, a director of global media relations with the restaurant chain, said in an email as quoted by CNBC.
"Some areas of the world are more advanced when it comes to traceability capabilities, and it is likely that our first purchases will come from one of those areas," Hary wrote. "We will focus on increasing the annual amount each year, but it is too early to predict the quantity that will be purchased in 2016."
The process will be even more of an undertaking since sustainable beef has not yet been officially defined.
A collective of food-industry stakeholders, including Cargill and the World Wildlife Fund, have drafted a list of guidelines for sustainable beef, but no definite term exists yet.
"We want to do our part to improve environmental practices in the way beef is produced, support positive workplaces in the beef industry,and drive continuous improvement in animal health and welfare. Beef represents our largest raw material purchase annually, and beef is our top priority," Hary wrote.
CNBC noted that McDonald's announcement came shortly after the restaurant calculated its carbon footprint last year to find that 28 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions were beef-related.
"Even though our purchases represent less than 2 percent of the total beef and dairy industry, we are working with other end users and the broader beef industry to address this important topic," the site noted.
The McDonald's franchise, which comprises more than 33,000 restaurants worldwide, had a year of ups and downs in 2013, from a McDonald's human resources person telling an employee of 10 years to apply for welfare to the chain's official split with Heinz.
The restaurant chain has also been experimenting with a pricier menu and new items to offset a slump in sales.
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