Nestlé opts for paper straws

The classic plastic straw for beverages is becoming obsolete. Brand owners are therefore already looking for adequate replacements. Nestlé has opted for paper straws for its beverage cartons.

Following a successful market launch in the Dominican Republic, Nestlé, the world’s largest food corporation, is now also using paper straws for its beverage cartons in Germany too. „We are committed to improving the environmental performance of our packaging. This requires effective and scalable solutions – the new paper straw is one of these,“ explains Michael Schwan, Manufacturing Manager RTD – Dairy Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé.

The first market-ready alternative to the traditional plastic straw was developed by the packaging company SIG. The Swiss firm had not manufactured straws beforehand, but they were looking for a suitable solution for their small-format packaging. Working closely with a straw manufacturer, they have now found a solution that makes the paper straw robust enough to penetrate closed straw holes. On this occasion, the outer wrapping of the straws was also redesigned. To prevent soiling, it remains stuck to the carton pack when it is removed and is then recycled together with the empty carton.

In future, the new paper straws will be made from pulp from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources. Once SIG has completed its FSC Chain of Custody certification, customers will be able to use the FSC label on both the cardboard packaging and the straws. In addition, SIG reports that it is also working to develop alternative straws for other packaging formats.