Paper Straw-Paired Dairy Products

Netherlands-based dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina has announced that it will be introducing paper straws across its entire European packaged product range for items that require a straw for consumption. The move will see more than 100 million plastic straws replaced with a more sustainable paper alternative by 2021 and is positioned to arrive before the ban on disposable plastic straws that will take place in Europe in the coming years. The products that will receive the new paper straws will include the Chocomel, Fristi, Campina and Optimel brands in Netherlands, Pöttyös in Hungary and Yazoo in the UK and Cécémel, Joyvalle and Fristi in Belgium.

Global Director, Packaging Development at FrieslandCampina Patrick van Baal spoke on the new initiative saying, "It is not easy to develop a strong paper straw that is flexible and hygienic and that does not get soft too quickly while drinking. Besides, the straw must be degradable in case it accidentally ends up in the environment. After a lot of testing, we have succeeded in developing a straw that meets all these requirements.”