Juice drinks brand Ribena has introduced new paper straws to its cartons as part of efforts to cut plastic waste.

The brand is using a fully-recyclable and biodegradable U-bend paper straw developed by British manufacturer Transcend Packaging. The new paper straw design is being trialled on packs now available in Tesco.

Recent research suggests that single-use plastic straws account for around 4% of all plastic waste globally and as much as 2,000 tonnes of plastic straws are believed to end up in the world’s oceans every year.

Transcend stated that its paper U-bend straw is a major step in replacing some of the millions of plastic straws being used in the UK daily. Ribena’s brand-owner Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I highlighted that the move to a paper alternative would help it reduce the impact of the 40,000,000 (16 tonnes by weight) straws it uses on its products each year.

Jo Padwick, Business Transformation Manager at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, commented: “Further improving the recyclability of our cartons is an important step in achieving our 100% sustainable packaging by 2030 ambition, but for full circularity, local authorities need to work with brands to ensure cartons and straws are recycled. Currently, only 65% of local authorities collect cartons from household waste which is why we’re welcoming national governments’ moves to introduce consistency in household recycling collections.

“Developing a bendable, durable paper straw, hasn’t been easy but recycling it should be. We’ve conducted hours of consumer testing to make sure our new paper straws can puncture the carton, that they don’t become soggy, and that Ribena lovers enjoy the feel of sipping from them. Now that they’re out in the market we can gather even more feedback before rolling the straws out more widely.”

Lorenzo Angelucci, CEO at Transcend Packaging added: “Anyone who has ever had a carton drink will instantly recognise the bendable plastic straws on the side of juice boxes found in supermarkets, cafes and packed lunch boxes across the country. The problem is these straws are used just once but then the plastic remains, as the straws are not often recycled.

“Because these straws need to be bendable and sharp enough to pierce the seal on the drink, it has traditionally been thought to be very difficult to create them from paper. Our new U-bend straw represents a significant design advancement and we are deploying it into the market at scale to provide drinks brands with a more sustainable option for their products.”