Straws going green amid ecological concern

As non-biodegradable single-use plastic straws have been virtually removed from the catering industry due to environmental concerns, paper, PLA and steel alternatives are seeing increasing orders in China.

Among numerous choices, paper straws topped the list for many beverage companies in China. According to a report by Huaan Securities Co Ltd, the market size of paper straws is likely to reach up to 28 billion yuan ($4.33 billion) in 2025.

Wu Mengyong, a worker at a Guangzhou-based paper straw company, told news media 36kr that the factory has been in full production mode since the end of last year.

"Most of our clients want paper straws. We are not worried about the market but are concerned about how to raise productivity to meet market demand," Wu said. His workplace can produce about 300,000-400,000 units per day, and hopes to eventually have monthly production of over 30 million.

"Paper straws are generally less harmful to the environment as they are biodegradable and take much less time to decompose," Lin said.

No matter how environmentally friendly paper straws are, they are having a difficult time being accepted by consumers. The topic "paper straws influence taste of bubble tea" even made top-ranked hot searches on social media platforms several times last month. Related posts on Weibo have exceeded 40,000 with over 770 million views to date. Complaints include having a papery taste, not being hard enough to pierce through drink lids and too easy to soften and dissolve in beverages.

"Paper straws also have an impact on the environment. On one hand, they consume a large amount of trees, and on the other hand, they also cause pollution during production. More efforts are needed for the research and development of other alternatives," Lin added.

As complaints concerning paper straws became trending topics, many netizens began sharing reviews of alternative straws, with biodegradable plastics like PLA straws, collapsible metal straws and various others topping the list.

"Developing biodegradable plastic products and innovating technologies to improve productivity and reduce costs are becoming the new trend in the plastics industry and will open the door for numerous business opportunities," Wan Lei, deputy head of the technology department at the China Chemical Fibers Association, told Shanxi Evening News.

According to a report by Huaan Securities Co Ltd, the market size of decomposable plastics in China will reach 47.7 billion yuan by 2025.

Chen Yi, general manager of Nanjing Wurui Biodegradable New Material Research Institute Co Ltd, told Xinhua News Agency that PLA straws outperformed other alternatives to non-degradable plastic counterparts in retaining the flavor of drinks.

"Last year witnessed a steep rise in PLA straw prices, from 18,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan per ton, and it is still riding high," Chen told Xinhua.

Chinese tea drink shop chains, including Heytea, Coco, and Nayuki, have also started using PLA straws to serve customers.