- The paper straw trend
1. It is expected that Asia-Pacific will lead the paper straw market.”
“It is expected that the Asia-Pacific region will lead the paper straw market, not the global one.”
Leading the paper straw market is expected to be the Asia-Pacific region. Several factors that expand the paper straw market, such as people’s perception of the fact that plastic increases environmental pollution, positive consumption perception of products that can reduce environmental pollution, and consumers’ interest and desire to purchase eco-friendly products, can be factors that expand the paper straw market. For these reasons, research on and the need for straws with other ingredients than paper straws and paper straws is increasing.
In addition, the increase in the number of food service companies located in each country or region, such as cafes, restaurants, or fast food chains, is also expected to lead to an increase in the demand for paper straws. These companies are studying alternatives to make more pro-yellow straws than paper and plastic straws for consumers who do not want to pollute the environment.In addition, as several major companies that expand the paper straw market are located in the Asia-Pacific region, I think the expansion and growth of the paper straw market will be further promoted (Babar, 2023).
2) As consumers become increasingly aware of the fact that plastic has a lot of influence on environmental pollution and are becoming more aware of it, the paper straw industry, which is made to replace plastic straws, is gradually expanding. The demand for paper straws is increasing because more countries around the world are banning plastic straws or restricting them altogether.
As citizens’ awareness of environmental pollution is increasing worldwide, the paper straw industry has a lot of growth potential. The demand for paper straws is expected to increase gradually in the future as many businesses and consumers switch to paper straws as an alternative to plastic straws, which are recognized as polluting the environment (Babar, 2023).
2. Fast-food franchise companies are switching to paper straws from plastic straws, and customers are reacting to this.
- McDonald’s, one of the big food franchises, joined in reducing environmental pollution and removed plastic straws and released paper straws to reduce the use of single-use plastics. However, some customers are not responding well to the paper straws. This is because they want to relaunch plastic straws, not paper straws.
In order to stop the use of plastic, which has a significant impact on environmental pollution, many companies, such as restaurants and cafes, are increasingly working to reduce plastic waste. With about 8.5 billion plastic straws thrown away each year, taking action to reduce environmental pollution from plastic waste is becoming increasingly important to people. That’s why McDonald’s, one of the fast-food franchise giants, eliminated plastic straws and launched paper straws in 1,361 stores in the U.K. and Ireland in June 2018. However, McDonald’s did not get positive feedback because some people who do not want to use paper straws want to stop the change because they want to stop the trend of the times that gradually change from plastic straws to paper straws.
In fact, more than 42,000 consumers signed a petition at McDonald’s to get rid of paper straws and release plastic again. They claimed that the biggest reason why consumers find paper straws negative is that when they drink them, the paper straws touch the drink and melt, causing it to taste weird.
However, the focus here is that the petition to ban plastic straws was signed by far more people than those who signed the petition to ban the rollout of paper straws. The petition to ban plastic straws received over 200,000 signatures in 2018 (Saraogi, 2019).
2) These days, many consumers and businesses around the world use paper straws instead of plastic straws because of the widespread awareness that plastic straws pollute the environment, making paper one of the many eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.
Including McDonald’s, Starbucks, another food franchise giant, announced over the summer that all Starbucks around the world will not use plastic beverage straws and will switch to paper straws by 2020. Another place that banned plastic straws and started using paper straws was Seattle. In July 2018, Seattle banned plastic straws in the U.S. and became the largest city to use paper straws. Only in the U.S., not in the world, is it estimated that people in the U.S. use 500 million straws every day. A recent study shows that 8.5 billion plastic straws are simply thrown away every year. Almost all of these abandoned straws end up in the ocean. Based on these facts, a 2017 study estimated that beaches around the world were being polluted by 8.3 billion plastic straws.
The use of many of these non-positive plastic straws is a problem that needs to be addressed for the sake of the environment. To solve this problem, companies that switch from alternative paper to plastic should really investigate whether paper straws are more beneficial to the environment than plastic or have a negative impact like plastic.
But before conducting a survey, we first need to understand why many people use plastic straws and how large the amounts of consumption are for businesses and consumers (Koonin, 2018).
- Advantage of paper straws and the reason why companies prefer paper straws to plastic straws
The non-printing sector is expected to be able to dominate the market in many ways because it can replace other items even if they are not straws. For that reason, non-printed paper straws are more cost-effective than others because they are inexpensive and can be produced in large quantities. That’s why it’s a great way to use it in the food service restaurant business. In addition, non-printed paper straws are popular with both consumers and businesses because they can be used in a variety of ways.
In addition, many governments around the world have recently restricted and banned the use of single-use plastic products with the aim of preventing environmental pollution and pursuing eco-friendliness. As a result, there has been a significant increase in demand for paper straws that are not eco-friendly to replace plastic straws (Babar, 2023).
- The reason why we avoid paper straws
The risks of forever chemicals
Focusing on the fact that the amount of PFAS detected in straws was low, the researchers theorized that contaminated soil may have led to the detection of PFAS in the process of making vegetable straws (using bamboo or paper). This also raises the question of whether paper straws can continue to be used due to the advantage of sustainability, although it is not clear whether the chemical has permeated the liquid.
“The fact that PFAS are in paper and bamboo straws tells us that paper and bamboo straws are not certain to be biodegradable,” Groffen said in a statement. “PFAS is not visible on stainless steel straws, so we advise consumers to use only these kinds of straws or just not use straws at all” (Mikhail, 2023).
- 3 eco-friendly alternatives to paper and plastic straws
There are three alternatives that are worth it for those who want to reduce both paper and plastic waste, not just plastic.
- Stainless-steel straws
The first alternative to reducing paper and plastic waste is stainless steel straws. Stainless straws are as easy to clean, reuse, and have a long life because they are not disposable as metal cutlery. In addition, stainless steel straws do not have any effect on the taste of the drink, unlike paper straws.
- Bamboo straws
Straws made from natural bamboo, a forest material, are a very good and light alternative. Unlike paper and plastic straws, bamboo straws disappear within a few months when worn out.
- Glass straws
Glass straws are reusable, very durable, and dishwasher-ready, just like stainless steel straws. It also comes in different lengths.
(Koonin, 2018)
- Reference
Babar, M. , 2023. The Growing Popularity of Paper Straws: An Opportunity for Sustainable Business | Expert Review. [online] www.linkedin.com. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/growing-popularity-paper-straws-opportunity-business-expert-joshi [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Koonin, A. , 2018. Are paper straws really better for the environment? [online] Rubicon: Smart Waste and Recycling Technology Company. Available at: https://www.rubicon.com/blog/paper-straws-better-environment/ [Accessed 25 November 2023].
MIKHAIL, A. , 2023. Paper straws are more likely to contain harmful forever chemicals than plastic straws, new research finds. [online] Fortune Well. Available at: https://fortune.com/well/2023/08/24/paper-straws-harmful-forever-chemicals-plastic-straws/ [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Saraogi, V. , 2019. McDonald’s criticised by customers for switching from plastic to paper straws – Elite Franchise. [online] elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk. Available at: http://elitefranchisemagazine.co.uk/franchise-news/item/mcdonald-s-criticised-by-customers-for-switching-from-plastic-to-paper-straws [Accessed 25 November 2023].
