Starbucks Japan To Replace Paper Straws With Biodegradable Plastic

Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. plans to phase out paper straws in favor of biodegradable plastic ones in 2025, Reiko Ide reported for Mainichi Japan.

The new straws, made from a bioplastic called PHBH, will first appear in Starbucks stores in Okinawa Prefecture on Jan. 23, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for March or later. I Photo: David Svensson Flickr

The new straws, made from a bioplastic called PHBH, will first appear in Starbucks stores in Okinawa Prefecture on Jan. 23, with a nationwide rollout scheduled for March or later.

PHBH is a polymer developed by Kaneka Corp. through a fermentation process involving biomass such as vegetable oil.

The material is designed to decompose in seawater or soil into carbon dioxide and water, addressing environmental concerns associated with traditional plastics.

Starbucks’ decision follows customer dissatisfaction with paper straws and aims to align with its sustainability goals. Kaneka’s PHBH material represents a breakthrough in biodegradable plastics, being the first of its kind to achieve industrial scalability while maintaining eco-friendly decomposition properties.