South Korean study finds paper straws may have higher environmental impact than plastic

A study commissioned by the South Korean Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy suggests that replacing plastic straws with paper or biodegradable alternatives may not provide the environmental benefits previously assumed. The research, conducted by the Korea Life Cycle Assessment Society, evaluated four materials: conventional plastic, paper, bio-polyethylene (bio-PE), and biodegradable plastic across 16 environmental impact categories.

The findings indicate that conventional plastic had the lowest impact in 10 of the 16 categories, including climate change. In contrast, paper straws showed higher impacts in areas such as mineral resource depletion, ionizing radiation, and eutrophication. Notably, the study found that paper straws had a cancer risk impact 6.33 times higher than conventional plastic, while bio-PE performed poorly in 10 categories.

The investigation highlights that regardless of the material used, straws remain extremely difficult to recycle. In South Korea, approximately 73.6% of straws are incinerated and 26.4% are sent to landfills, suggesting that material substitution alone does not address the fundamental waste management issue.