McDonald's is introducing paper straws to all its restaurants in the U.K., and the concept is expected to move to the U.S.
Facing pressure from environmentalists, the burger giant has already been testing plastic straw alternatives in the U.K., and now it plans to bring these ideas to select locations in the U.S. later this year, USA Today noted.
The announcement comes weeks after McDonald’s shareholders voted against a report on use of plastic straws at their annual meeting, asserting that many of the chain’s 37,000 restaurants are already taking steps to deal with the problem of plastic waste and sustainability.
The report asked the company to document data on its plastic straw use as a step toward a ban but less than 8 percent of shareholders voted for the proposal.
Environmentalists are putting pressure on corporations to reduce their plastic use, and some are starting to listen.
Greenpeace noted that about 90 percent of the plastic produced to date has not been recycled, with consumption of single-use plastic products creating a massive plastic waste and pollution problem.
In response to this information, Bon Appétit Management announced a ban on plastic straws and stirrers at more than 1,000 cafes and restaurants the food-service management company runs.
Now all eyes are on McDonalds which, according to activist group SumOfUs, "uses millions of plastic straws every single day."
The group estimated that about 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the seas every year, leading to the deaths of millions of seabirds and marine animals.
McDonald's executive vice president for global supply chain and sustainability, Francesca DeBiase, said the company was "committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally," USA Today reported.
"We hope this work will support industry wide change," she added.
The regional rollout is scheduled to begin in September.
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