Plastic Straws’ Nature-Friendly Rival to Combat Marine Litter

Straws have taken a lot of heat in the battle against plastic, with several countries going as far as banning their use to help clean up oceans. But so far there have been few good substitutes.

Sulapac Oy, a Finnish maker of wood-based alternatives to plastic, says it has the answer. It has teamed up with Stora Enso Oyj, a paper and packaging industry giant, to bring to market renewable plastic-free straws at a price point equal to paper ones. While the straws are intended to be discarded after use, they last for several hours without getting soggy like paper-based alternatives.