Paper straws have been promoted as an easy way to make everyday drinks greener. But a South Korean government-commissioned study has challenged that reputation, finding that conventional plastic straws performed better on most of the environmental measures assessed.
The research, commissioned by South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, compared conventional plastic, paper, biodegradable plastic and bio-based polyethylene straws. It examined 16 categories, following the products from raw material production through disposal.
The report was disclosed by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, according to The Korea Herald’s reporting on the findings.
Conventional plastic straws recorded the lowest environmental impact in 10 categories, including climate change, particulate matter and human toxicity. The results raise questions about policies built around replacing plastic with materials assumed to be cleaner.
One of the most striking findings concerned paper straws’ modeled carcinogenic impact, which was 6.33 times that of conventional plastic. That figure needs careful reading: it measures potential harm associated with emissions throughout a product’s life cycle. It does not mean someone drinking through a paper straw faces six times the cancer risk.
The distinction matters because the assessment looks well beyond what happens when a customer takes a sip. Its scope includes the environmental costs of producing the materials and dealing with the waste afterward.
Paper straws also had roughly twice the acidification impact of conventional plastic. Bio-based polyethylene, made from sources such as sugarcane, performed worse still on those measures, with around 16 times the carcinogenic impact and almost six times the acidification impact.
Recycling offered little reassurance. Small straws are difficult for sorting facilities to separate, while coatings and adhesives create further obstacles for paper versions.
The findings arrive against a backdrop of uncertainty over South Korea’s straw restrictions. Rules introduced in November 2022 were followed by an indefinite extension of the enforcement grace period in November 2023.
Consumers, meanwhile, showed a clear preference. Among 1,001 people surveyed for the report, 87.5 percent favored plastic straws. More than half supported supplying straws only when requested.
That was also the researchers’ practical recommendation: stop handing out disposable straws automatically, regardless of their material. For cafes and restaurants, the proposed change would mean asking whether a straw is needed before deciding which kind to provide.
