The 'McHive' lives on the rooftop of a McDonald's restaurant in Sweden.
In honour of World Bee Day (20th May) and in an effort to raise awareness of the struggling bee population, the fast food chain has commissioned a miniaturised version of one of its stores that acts a fully-functioning beehive! The idea has proved so popular that 4 more have been installed in various locations around the country.
The McHive was designed with the help of Swedish marketing agency NORDDDB and award-winning set designer Nicklas Nilsson. The idea came about when the company realised many of their franchises were already installing beehives of their roofs purely under their own initiative. It is hoped that the McHive will raise more awareness of sustainability issues, and that other global brands might follow suit.
"We have a lot of really devoted franchisees who contribute to our sustainability work, and it feels good that we can use our size to amplify such a great idea as beehives on the rooftops," said Christoffer Rönnblad, marketing director of McDonald's Sweden.
McDonald's obviously has a commercial interest here, as the worldwide bee population directly affects their ability to produce their product and make a profit. But here's hoping that the company can use their size and influence to do some real good!
