The final straw? SIG and Huhtamaki launch paper straws as single-use plastic bans take effect

14 Feb 2019 --- Two major packaging suppliers are responding to growing demand for plastic-free straws. Beverage carton supplier SIG has launched an FSC-certified paper alternative which can be recycled via existing paper recycling streams. It is made from three layers of paperboard and two layers of adhesive. Food packaging supplier Huhtamaki’s PEFC-certified paper straws, meanwhile, are made of fiber sourced from sustainably managed forests.

The launches indicate that major suppliers are innovating to meet the growing demand for more sustainable straw solutions after the EU identified plastic straws as one of the ten single-use plastic items it will ban by the end of 2021.

Paper-based packaging is witnessing a resurgence across several packing categories, fueled by increasing public and regulatory anti-plastic sentiment. This is especially true of single-use straws. Unlike plastics, paper is a naturally renewable source.

“We saw an opportunity to address concerns about marine litter and offer added value to our customers by helping them meet consumer and regulatory demand to scrap plastic straws,” says Markus Boehm, Chief Market Officer, SIG. “This win-win is a great example of how our commitment to go Way Beyond Good for the environment is delivering real business benefits.”

SIG worked closely with a manufacturing partner to develop a paper straw solution that is robust enough to pierce the closed straw hole of its aseptic cartons. It is suitable for both high acid and low acid products. The wrapper for the straw has also been redesigned to help prevent litter by remaining attached to the pack to ensure that it can be recycled along with the rest of the carton.

The initial volume of paper straws will be limited during the launch phase, as SIG ramps up capacity with its manufacturing partner. SIG is also continuing to invest in new ways to apply this alternative straw solution to a wider variety of packaging formats.

SIG's new paper straw. A possible weakness of paper straws is their inability to retain their shape when submerged in liquid. Henry Wang, Senior Product Manager, SIG, tells PackagingInsights that the supplier’s straws “retain their stability for 30 minutes after they have come into contact with liquids. If they remain in contact with liquid for a longer period of time, they become soggy.”

However, Wang believes that the lack of durability in comparison to plastic straws is a price worth paying because of the superior sustainability qualities of SIG’s paper straw.

Paper is renewable and recyclable. This forest-based material already makes up 70-80 percent of SIG’s cartons on average, and the look and feel of paper also visibly reinforces its environmental credentials to consumers. 

“We believe the paper straw solution is a strong complement to our product offering that answers to the market needs for a renewable alternative to plastic straws,” he says.

Wang’s views are supported by research recently conducted by global diversified packaging supplier Sonoco, which found that consumers are more likely to buy organic, premium brands if the packaging is “natural-looking.”

SIG’s new straws feature paperboard from FSC-certified forests or other controlled sources, Wang says.

“Customers can already include the FSC label on any SIG carton and they will be able to add the label to the paper straws once the manufacturing partner has completed FSC Chain-of-Custody certification, which is expected during the second half of 2019” he explains.

Wang anticipates that Europe will be a core market for the new paper straw but that it will be available globally. Nestlé has already tested the market launch in the Dominican Republic.

“We are committed to improving the environmental performance of our packaging and addressing the critical issue of single-use plastics is an important part of that,” notes Michael Schwan, Manufacturing Manager RTD, Dairy Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé. “We need effective, scalable solutions and SIG’s new paper straw has the potential to meet that need.”

Huhtamaki joins the paper straw race
Huhtamaki is also now offering customers the opportunity to switch to paper straws for the consumption of cold drinks. Its new paper straws are made of fiber coming from sustainably managed forests and 100 percent of the paper used in the straws and in their wrapping is PEFC certified. They have been tested and certified for food safety in Europe, China and the US.

“Our paper straws are crafted to be strong, reliable and functional,” says Neal McCone, Global Category Director, QSR & Beverage, Huhtamaki Foodservice Europe-Asia-Oceania. “We have invested in new, purpose-built machinery to deliver premium product quality.”

“We are confident that we can offer paper straws that are durable and superior in performance compared to the current market offering. Our straws are also both odor and taint-free.”

"In addition to new machines, we have also invested in new manufacturing setups for paper straws. We look forward to the opportunity to offer a sustainable choice, grow the market and be the leading supplier. With our initial output we are serving McDonald's in the UK and across Europe as one of its main suppliers", McCone adds.

A farewell to plastic straws?
In June 2018, McDonald’s announced a “phased rollout” of paper straws to replace plastic straws across all of its 1,361 UK and Ireland restaurants from September 2018 onwards. The transition was expected to finalize by 2019, while the fast-food giant is also trialing alternatives to plastic straws in Belgium and conducting tests for select restaurants in the US, France, Sweden, Norway and Australia.

“Customers have told us that they don't want to be given a straw and that they want to have to ask for one, so we're acting on that,” said McDonald’s UK Chief Executive, Paul Pomroy.

McDonald’s uses a reported 1.8 million plastic straws every day in the UK alone. McDonald’s joins Burger King, JD Wetherspoon, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express and Wagamama in the growing list of restaurants that have taken steps to eradicate plastic straws.Starbuck's strawless lids.

“It is a first step for this big fast food company [McDonald’s] to reduce its plastic footprint,” Maria Westerbos, Founder and Director of Plastic Soup, tells PackagingInsights. “Just a first step, set because of the pressure of the worldwide community against plastic pollution.”

“Forty percent of all plastic that is produced each year (360 million tons in 2018) is single-use. We throw these so-called ‘SUPs’ away within 20 minutes,” she says. “Plastic is an oil-based product, which means that we throw 144 million tons straight away. That is a very huge oil spill, harming the planet.”

“The fast-food industry ranks high when we look at polluting sectors. It has a very big plastic footprint and should reduce that as soon as possible. There is more and more evidence, that plastic is not only harming animal life but also human health,” Westerbos adds.

In July 2018, Starbucks announced that it will no longer provide single-use plastic straws in its more than 28,000 stores worldwide in a move that is expected to eliminate more than one billion plastic straws annually. The coffee giant will instead offer a strawless lid or paper or plastic compostable straw alternative. Also in the US, in July 2018 Seattle became the first major city to ban single-use plastic straws and eating utensils.

In December 2018, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a provisional agreement on ambitious new single-use plastic measures proposed in May, confirming the 10 types of single-use plastics that will be banned under the EU’s Plastics Strategy. The ban will include single-use plastic straws.

The provisional agreement reached must now be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council. Following its approval, national governments will have until the end of 2021 to instate it.

A notable example of an organization innovating to move beyond single-use plastic straws is Omnes, a Greek non-profit, voluntary association, which is now producing a single-use wheat straw that is 100 percent natural and compostable.

The rise of reusable straw innovations
The regulatory clampdown on single-use plastics has also created market openings for reusable products. A notable example is FinalStraw, “the world’s first reusable and collapsible straw,” which was created by Canadians Emma Cohen and Miles Pepper. The straw is made from stainless steel and the container is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.

FinalStraw is machine-washable, BPA-free and can be used for both hot and cold drinks. The case also comes with a cleaning squeegee. The creators estimate that one FinalStraw can prevent 584 straws from polluting the natural environment every year.

The project was launched on Kickstarter and quickly exceeded its original target of US$11,882, accumulating pledges of US$620,584 in the first 24 hours. FinalStraw is priced at US$20.

By Joshua Poole