This is unfortunately the case for most ecological movements. Your paper straw is doing absolutely nothing, but it's easier than doing the thing that would actually reduce your emissions...so people do it and feel good.
Then the industry jumped on it, threw fudge online, lobbied it to death. In the end the actual proposal that was passed had so many exceptions it became just a ban on plastic straws, q-tips, and forks pretty much.
Nestle, Coco-Cola, Unilever, P&G opened a bottle of champagne and refocused on their quarterly reports.
Not sure why the environmental push had to become a profit center, kind of feel we could have just switched the bags to paper and charged no one if it were truly about the environment.
But it seems like a small group of people is able to sway the policy.
A few activists can make us all use paper straws, and a few rich shipping companies can prevent us all from switching to cleaner fuels for prime cargo movers.
Why have democracies become tyrannies of minorities?
If the population of California drinks one less cup of water for one day that's 9.3 million liters saved.