The Complete Guide For Buying Paper Straws
The quality of paper drinking straws varies from supplier to supplier. How can you protect your business when choosing the best product for your operation? Switching from plastic to paper straws is a simple task. Here are a few points to consider when choosing the best paper straw for your business.
Don’t always go for the cheapest option
“You get what you pay for” is definitely true with buying paper straws. The quality of the product depends on the quality of raw materials (paper & adhesives) and the manufacturing process.
Since the production process is similar among paper straw manufacturers, the cost of raw materials is an important factor determining the cost per straw. Better-quality raw materials are more expensive. This ensures your paper straws are high-quality products that won’t get soggy and start disintegrating in a drink before the beverage is finished.
Look for certification
The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international non-profit organisation that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. It is important that an eco-friendly paper straw manufacturer uses food-grade paper that is FSC certified — meaning the paper is sourced from forests audited to meet FSC’s rigorous social and environmental standards.
The product must also have gone through independent lab testing to confirm it does not contain harmful substances and is safe to be used as a food utensil. This confirms the raw materials (mainly paper & adhesive) are food-safe.
Know your application
Just like plastic straws, paper straws come in different specifications — diameter, length, paper colour, packaging type, and so on.
You need to know the requirement for the application in your business. For general usage, the standard size is the 6mm diameter by 200mm length white paper straw. For fruit juices or boba tea, you will need bigger to jumbo straws (8 / 10 / 12mm).
There are also custom-size paper straws, such as the bendable paper straws used by Nestlé Malaysia in their Milo packet drinks, as a Nestlé Malaysia initiative to reduce plastic straw usage.
Request for samples
You should request paper straw samples before purchasing. A good supplier shouldn’t be worried about providing samples for testing before you decide to buy.
After receiving the samples, leave them in a drink (cold or room temperature) and see how long they last. Because of the nature of paper, they will degrade in water, but they should last for at least 30 minutes — long enough for your customers to enjoy their drinking experience.