Poll: 67% support companies' phase-out of plastic straws

In the survey, which was conducted July 19-23 among 2,201 U.S. adults, 67 percent said they back a company’s decision to ban plastic straws. Consumers are also supportive of recycling efforts: 66 percent said that if a company instituted a new recycling policy to reduce plastic waste, it would give them a more favorable impression of that company.

At the same time, 55 percent of adults believe companies are not doing enough to reduce waste. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

“The ban on plastic straws alone probably won’t change too much in the grand scheme of things regarding plastic pollution, but from a business perspective, they are symbolic as a step towards more eco-friendly consumption practices,” said Lindsey Bier, assistant professor of clinical business communication at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, in a phone interview Friday. “Brands that are banning plastic straws are offering customers the opportunity to feel a personal connection, and they make the consumer feel as if they are making a difference.”