3 minSociety
South Korean study finds paper straws may carry greater pollution burden than plastic
A government-commissioned South Korean life-cycle assessment found paper straws scored higher than conventional plastic straws on one cancer-related pollution measure, though the study did not assess chemical exposure or health outcomes for straw users.
A South Korean assessment suggests that paper straws, widely promoted as a greener alternative to plastic, may impose a greater pollution-related health burden. The study, commissioned by South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment from the Korean Society for Life Cycle Assessment, found that paper straws scored 6.33 times as high as conventional plastic straws on an estimate of cancer-related harm from pollution generated during production and disposal.
The researchers stressed that the score measures potential harm from pollution across a straw's full life cycle, from production through disposal. It does not measure chemical exposure or cancer risk from drinking through a straw. The assessment compared four straw types: paper, conventional plastic, biodegradable plastic and bio-based polyethylene, known as bio-PE. Researchers evaluated 16 environmental impacts and assumed that about 74 percent of discarded straws were incinerated and 26 percent went to landfills, based on South Korean waste statistics.
Conventional plastic straws performed best in 10 of the 16 environmental categories, but no single straw type came out ahead in every category. The study did not examine whether chemicals leach from straws into beverages, nor did it assess health outcomes among people who use them. Based on its findings, the researchers recommended that stores provide disposable straws only upon request, according to The Korea Herald.
The report has also fed into a political debate in South Korea. Lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, whose office received the assessment, criticized plastic straw restrictions, arguing that alternatives had failed to deliver the environmental benefits they had promised.
The findings land in a broader American debate over paper straws. President Donald Trump has criticized them as ineffective and argued that they may pose health risks. In February 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to stop buying and providing paper straws and to develop a national strategy to end their use, according to a White House press release. Trump has previously said he was « tired of having straws melt in my mouth ».
Health concerns about paper straws have also surfaced separately. Florida lawmakers have raised questions about a 2023 University of Antwerp study that detected PFAS, so-called forever chemicals, in 27 of 39 straw brands tested, most often in paper straws. The European food-service packaging association 360° Foodservice has said its member companies operate under a no-PFAS clause and set food-contact safety requirements. The Foodservice Packaging Institute and 360° Foodservice were contacted for comment.
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