SumOfUs, a global consumer advocacy organization, has filed a shareholder resolution on behalf of McDonald’s shareholders calling for a report detailing the risks the company faces should they continue to use plastic straws in their restaurants.
The request also demands that McDonald’s develop a plan to phase out plastic straws and provide an alternative solution.
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Just last month McDonald’s announced that they would eliminate single-use plastic straws from the 1,300 units in operation in the U.K. The shareholder resolution comes on the heels of that announcement and one month before the annual general meeting (May 24) of McDonald’s shareholders.
Some McDonald’s restaurants in the U.K. will begin trials of paper straws in May as well.
The elimination of single-use plastic straws has become a strong international consumer movement. Demands for alternatives—chief among them paper straws—are growing, and shareholders feel that the continued use of plastic straws by McDonald’s will put the fast-food giant at a competitive disadvantage.
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Cities in California, Florida and Washington have banned plastic straws, and many other cities across the United States have announced plans to follow suit. England, Scotland, Taiwan and Kenya have moved toward banning single-use plastic straws as well.
To view the shareholder resolution, click here.
To view the petition, click here.