Green was added to McDonald's traditional red-and-yellow palette in the 2000s for a more natural brand image.
McDonald's historically relied on red and yellow, colors strongly associated with its signs, restaurants, packaging, and Golden Arches. During the 2000s, the company introduced more green in selected branding and restaurant environments as part of a broader modernization effort.
The change was connected with efforts to present McDonald's as more contemporary and environmentally conscious. Green appeared especially in updated European visual identity and restaurant design, sometimes alongside darker tones and natural materials. It did not replace the Golden Arches or eliminate the traditional colors worldwide.
This is why green should be understood as an additional branding color rather than the chain's original signature hue. Individual markets and restaurant designs have varied, but the move represented a noticeable shift from the strongly saturated look associated with earlier decades.