Starbucks changed the straw material from petroleum-based plastic to paper straws in January 2020, but decided to replace them with bioplastic straws due to feedback from some customers that the straws “tend to soften with prolonged use,” “affecting the taste of the drink,” and other issues.
On December 6, Starbucks Coffee Japan announced that from January 2025, it will change the material of straws offered in stores from paper to bio-based plastic. This is another adjustment after a five-year hiatus following the complete switch to paper straws in 2020.
The first batch of bioplastic straws will be launched at 32 stores in Okinawa Prefecture on January 23, 2025, and will be extended to approximately 2,000 stores throughout Japan after March. The new straws will be replaced with 6-millimeter-diameter straws for regular drinks such as iced coffee and Frappuccino, and the 10-millimeter-diameter thicker straws for seasonal Frappuccino are scheduled to be replaced around April.
The raw material used for the straws comes from Kaneka's bioplastic Green Planet®, which is made from vegetable oils and other ingredients, and can achieve 99% biomass content. The new straws are lighter in weight than paper straws and are expected to reduce waste generated in stores by approximately 50%. The bioplastic is able to decompose into inorganic materials in the presence of microorganisms in seawater or soil, resulting in a low environmental impact.
Jongyeon Chemical Green Planet™ is PHBH for the production of straws, shopping bags, cutlery and disposable coffee capsules. According to the company's official information, its annual production capacity will reach 20,000 tons in 2024, with hundreds of thousands of tons of future commercial potential.
