The Paper Straws That Coffee Shops and Bubble Tea Shops Hate Are Being Discontinued?!

The Three Great Joys of Young People: Coffee, Milk Tea, and Cola!

How to "curb" young people's happiness?

"Give them a paper straw"

Yes, this paper straw, born under the "halo of environmental protection," has made its grand entrance into various restaurants and beverage shops, occupying the straw dispensers for over a year. However, the environmental benefits of paper straws extend beyond biodegradability—they can also degrade in your mouth. Therefore, the trending topics about paper straws aren't about their environmental friendliness, but their "anti-human" performance.

"Paper straws are really eco-friendly—they degrade right in my mouth," this question about paper straws sparked heated discussion last May. Many netizens commented, "Sorry, it's not that I don't support environmental protection, but I really can't suck through it!" "Paper straws aren't necessarily that eco-friendly! I went through three straws just to finish one cup of coffee" "Some straws just fall apart while you're drinking"

With increasing negative reviews, paper straws were eventually pushed out of the market, followed by the emergence of PLA biodegradable straws taking the mainstream.

PLA straws, also known as polylactic acid straws, are made from starch extracted from plants like corn, wheat, and cassava, making them fully biodegradable. Their suitable temperature range is approximately -10°C to 70°C, satisfying both cold and hot beverages. Compared to paper straws, most consumers prefer these polylactic acid straws. As the demand for PLA straws rapidly expands, paper straws naturally face decline.

According to a March 20 report from CCTV Financial Network, many manufacturers of paper straws have gradually ceased production. A production team leader at a paper products company in Zhejiang stated that during peak demand, 24 machines produced at least 80,000 straws each daily, with a maximum of 140,000 per machine. Now only 5 machines remain operational, with daily production not exceeding 500,000 straws. The person in charge of the paper products company expressed that this rollercoaster experience over the past year— from rise to fall—still needs time to process, and the machines are difficult to sell.

The reasons for the decline in paper straw production include poor consumer experience and reduced export volumes due to the pandemic. Additionally, paper straws provide a subpar experience for consumers abroad, leading many countries to begin importing PLA straws.

Researchers both domestically and internationally have suggested that paper straws aren't as environmentally friendly as presumed! Firstly, paper straws are made from composite materials like "paper + plastic coating," making them less biodegradable than imagined. Secondly, the tendency of paper straws to disintegrate forces manufacturers to continuously increase their thickness, resulting in many paper straws becoming too thick for recycling.

Are PLA Straws Truly Environmentally Friendly?

Compared to paper straws, they can indeed achieve genuine natural degradation, but their drawback is a short shelf life. The performance of PLA straws deteriorates significantly after one year of storage—they crumble when twisted (demonstrating their ease of degradation). Many manufacturers producing PLA straws dare not produce large quantities for storage, which invisibly increases their cost.

Plastic straws cost 0.05-0.06 yuan each, paper straws cost 0.07-0.08 yuan each, while PLA straws cost 0.12-0.13 yuan each. The increased cost has prompted businesses to revert to plastic straws. However, Weng Yunxuan, Secretary-General of the Degradable Plastic Professional Committee of the China Plastics Processing Industry Association, stated that in 2020, the domestic production capacity of polylactic acid was only about 60,000 tons. Now, polylactic acid production capacity has reached 150,000 tons. As production capacity increases, the price of polylactic acid will also decrease. This suggests that PLA straws may become the next trend in eco-friendly tableware.

Recently, Coffee Workshop also reported about a new type of straw made from nata de coco. The research team led by Academician Yu Shuhong in China has developed "edible" bacterial cellulose-based straws with excellent properties through biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose combined with seaweed extract sodium alginate. These bacterial cellulose-based straws almost disappear after being buried in soil for 45 days and fully integrate into the soil after 60 days.

Are Nata de Coco Straws Delicious?

Although the material is edible, it doesn't necessarily mean tasty—it can only be described as a safe, edible straw. The strength, modulus, and toughness of these straws are more than double that of paper straws. The cost of each straw may be similar to PLA straws, but they have a longer storage time.

In reality, regardless of the material, straws are disposable items even if they can naturally degrade. If you truly want to be environmentally friendly, why not start by reducing the use of disposable products?

Image source: Network, CCTV Financial

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