How They're Made: Paper Straws

We've seen a lot of news surrounding the topic of paper straws over the last couple of years. Companies like Starbucks, Hyatt, and American Airlines are working to move away from single-use plastic straws completely. 

As companies work diligently to make environmentally conscious choices, paper straws are definitely going to become a part of everyday life.Over the last year our team has supplied eco-friendly, compostable glue to a number of paper straw manufacturers. It got us thinking, how many people really know how paper straws are made?

It really is a fascinating process! 

How Paper Straws are Made

Paper straw manufacturing is similar in many ways to other tube winding processes. You have likely encountered tube winding a number of times: paper towel rolls, shipping tubes, food packaging tubes, etc. Paper straws are similar to that, just on a slightly smaller scale.

During the paper straw manufacturing process, several thin reels of paper are run through a glue bath. These tacky reels are then wound together into a long paper cylinder. Those long cylinder tubes are then cut to size, packaged, and shipped. 

The Vancouver Sun shared this great behind-the-scenes video. In it, you'll see Waterhorse Paper Straws' manufacturing process in action. 

Paper straws are typically made using food-grade paper, inks, and other raw materials. They are designed to last through end-of-use but are easily compostable once recycled or disposed of. 

Benefits of Using Paper Straws

LD Davis has long promoted the use of plastic-free, sustainable glues. By developing eco-friendly glues for manufacturing, we help businesses meet customer demands for greener packaging and products while reducing their carbon footprint.

There are a number of reasons that paper straws are growing in popularity. Here are four reasons to love paper straws:

What are your thoughts on paper straws? Are you on board with the movement, or will it take some time to get used to the switch? Comment below and let us know! 

To learn more about the adhesives used in the paper straw manufacturing process, reach out to our experts today!