UK Bans Plastic Straws

England has banned the supply of plastic straws and stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. The ban was originally intended to come into effect from April 2020. However, the move faced some delays and did not begin in England until 1 October 2020. Customers are no longer able to buy these products in shops in England, thus driving the market growth for alternatives such as edible straws.

Marriott began rolling out a no-plastic policy at its UK hotels in February 2018. More than 60 hotels in the United Kingdom have already eliminated plastic straws and are now offering consumers alternate straws upon request, including Le Meridien Piccadilly, Grosvenor House, and the W in Leicester Square.

The German edible straws market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 9.59% during the forecast period. The market value is likely to reach USD 22.04 million in 2028, from its recorded value of USD 10.76 million in 2020. In Germany alone, around 40 billion plastic straws are consumed every year – a number to which the catering sector makes a major contribution. This is expected to have a negative impact on the environment and thus Germany planned to ban the sale of single-use plastic straws, cutlery, cotton buds and food containers from July 2021.

Hence, key players in the market are launching edible straws that are biodegradable and do not have a negative impact on the environment. For instance, Wise Food is one of the key players in the Germany edible straws market. The start-up company wants to help with edible straws made from apple pomace, the solid waste left over in the production of apple juice. 

In Germany, Wise Food creates 60,000 tonnes of edible straws. In May 2018, the company sold 50,000 straws, although the price is significantly higher than that of a plastic straw.