Another major company has hopped on the straw ban bandwagon. The Walt Disney Company announced Thursday that it will stop using single-use plastic straws and stirrers in all of its locations by mid-2019. This includes all parks across the globe, except the Disney Tokyo Resort.
The move will reportedly result in the reduction of more than 175 million straws and 13 million stirrers annually—and that’s not the only way the company hopes to shrink its plastic footprint.
Disney will reduce the number of single-use plastic shopping bags in its parks and on cruise ships, as well. Reusable bags will be available for purchase instead. Polystyrene cups will reportedly be phased out of parks, too.
Guests staying in Disney-owned hotels or Disney Cruise Line staterooms may also notice refillable in-room amenities rather than those mini shampoo and conditioner bottles. The company estimates this will reduce plastic waste by 80 percent.
“Eliminating plastic straws and other plastic items are meaningful steps in our long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship,” Bob Chapek, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences, and Consumer Products said in the news release. “These new global efforts help reduce our environmental footprint, and advance our long-term sustainability goals.”
The Walt Disney Company has a handful of other environmental goals it hopes to reach by 2020, including reducing net emissions by 50 percent and diverting 60 percent of all waste generated by the company, including in its studios and offices, from landfills and incineration.
“Disney has always been inspired by nature—and it is a uniquely powerful brand that inspires, educates, and entertains, all at the same time,” Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, told ABC News.
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“Today’s announcement is more than about reducing single-use plastic waste, it’s also about showing millions of kids and adults from around the world the many ways we can change our daily habits to care for the oceans and protect nature that sustains us all,” Sanjayan added. "It also builds on Disney’s longstanding commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship, a legacy that stretches from the highlands of Peru to the islands of the South Pacific.”
The Walt Disney Company has had a long-standing commitment to environmental causes, most clearly seen through the Disney Conservation Fund, which was formed in 1995, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, which opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida three years later.
The park, unlike the other three on property (Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios), never allowed plastic straws or lids inside its gates. Instead, guests were forced to drink through paper straws—or they could just forgo the straw altogether.
Based on Thursday's announcement, it is not yet clear how Disney plans to implement the plastic straw ban in its other parks. Paper straws are surely an option, or perhaps Disney will just get rid of straws altogether and follow Starbucks' lead.
Earlier this month, Starbucks joined the growing list of companies (including fast food giant McDonald’s) that will eliminate plastic straws from some or all of their locations. In their place, the coffee company rolled out a sippy cup lid. Those on the left were quick to praise the move. However, the new lids may mean Starbucks is using more plastic than before. But even if Starbucks didn’t replace their straws with these “cold-cup lids,” the impact on our environment would be minimal.
Yes, the amount of plastic waste going into our oceans is a concern, but single-use plastic straws make up less than one percent (about .03) of that waste, according to Bloomberg. And most of that isn’t even coming from the United States. Forbes reported earlier this year, before the anti-straw craze took off, that five countries dump more plastic into our oceans than all others combined: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
In other words, a handful of companies and a few U.S. cities banning straws isn’t going to eliminate the problem; it probably won't even make a dent. All it does is make liberals feel better about themselves and give politicians and CEOs another reason to pat themselves on the backs for doing “something.”
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