Diageo is the parent company of 52 alcoholic brands. In a recent press release, the company confirmed that it will be phasing out the use and promotion of plastic straws and stirrers for all its businesses and brands.
Diageo has, for more than a decade, been committed to sustainable packaging. The move to phase out straws and stirrers comes as barmen, celebrities and activists are calling for a ban on single use plastics. Six US cities have to date issued a full or partial ban on straws in restaurants. The US, however, still uses more than 500 million straws per day.
Actor Adrian Grenier, who recently featured in an Air New Zealand advertising campaign to highlight climate change, is now championing a new campaign that encourages people to #stopsucking. He states that, “we see straws as a ‘gateway plastic’ in understanding the pollution problem."
Straw maker Fuling Global Incorporated says it supplies about five billion straws a year to some of the country’s largest fast-food chains. They estimate that US consumers use 20 billion plastic straws annually.
McDonalds and Starbucks have both recently come under fire for their lack of recyclable packaging. More than 970,000 people signed a petition recently urging Starbucks to make good on its 2008 promise to replace its existing cups with a 100 percent recyclable alternative. In July 2017, 110,000 people signed a petition demanding that McDonalds stop using plastic straws.
Sources: Wall Street Journal
Photo: thelaststraw.org
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