McDonald’s rejects proposal to report on plastic straw use in blow to environmental group

McDonald’s shareholders on Thursday voted against a proposal to examine its plastic straw use from an organization seeking an eventual ban on the straws.

The proposal, backed by advocacy group SumOfUs, asked the fast food giant to report to shareholders about its use of disposable plastic straws, the first step toward joining the environmental movement to cut down on ocean pollution.

Just 7.65 percent of shareholders voted in favor of the proposal at the company’s annual meeting, according to USA Today.

{mosads}SumOfUs said that McDonald’s uses an estimated 95 million straws worldwide daily. The group told the BBC that the rejection of the proposal was “not surprising.”

Company leaders had called the move “unnecessary” and “redundant,” according to the BBC.

Nearly half a million people signed a petition organized by SumOfUs calling on McDonald’s to stop using the straws at its U.S. locations.

The company announced it would stop using them in the United Kingdom, shortly before Prime Minister Theresa May announced a nationwide ban.

McDonald’s has in recent years committed to other environmentally friendly measures, including using only packaging made from renewable, recycled or certified sources in its restaurants by 2025.

Some U.S. cities, including Seattle and Miami, have banned the use of plastic straws, and many companies, including restaurants and airlines, are electing to stop using them.