In Canada, fast food mainstay A&W Canada has unveiled a sculpture outside of Toronto’s Union Station to commemorate the end of its plastic-straw use. The 35-foot-long sculpture, depicting words “Change is Good,” is literally made from the last straws present in the company’s supply chain now that the eatery is switching to marine-biodegradable paper straws.
Designed by creative agency Rethink, the sculpture is made up of 140,000 straws. A&W Canada—the country’s second-largest hamburger chain after McDonald’s—estimates that the switch to paper will keep 82 million plastic straws from landfills and waterways.
“We wanted to create this sculpture to inspire people and businesses alike that small changes can have a big impact,” says Susan Senecal, A&W Canada’s president and CEO tells Adweek. “It also fuels our commitment to continuously work toward creating positive change within our own organization.”