Paper straws are often presented as a greener choice than plastic. But a South Korean assessment suggests their pollution-related health impacts may be higher in some areas.
The country’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment commissioned the study from the Korean Society for Life Cycle Assessment. Researchers compared paper, plastic and other disposable straws, considering impacts from manufacturing through disposal.
According to reports from South Korea, paper straws received a score 6.33 times higher than conventional plastic straws for estimated cancer-related harm from pollution. The researchers stressed that this figure reflects pollution associated with a straw’s life cycle. It does not measure chemical exposure or the risk of cancer from drinking through one.
The assessment covered four types: paper, conventional plastic, biodegradable plastic and bio-based polyethylene, or bio-PE. Researchers examined 16 environmental impact categories and used South Korean waste figures, estimating that about 74% of discarded straws were incinerated and 26% sent to landfills.
Conventional plastic straws ranked best in 10 of the 16 categories, though no option performed best across the board. The study did not test whether substances from straws migrate into drinks, nor did it examine health outcomes in straw users.
Researchers recommended that businesses offer disposable straws only when customers ask for them, The Korea Herald reported. Lawmaker Kim Wi-sang, whose office received the report, criticized restrictions on plastic straws, saying alternatives had not delivered the environmental benefits they promised.
President Donald Trump has also opposed paper straws, calling them ineffective and raising concerns about possible health risks. In February 2025, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to stop purchasing and distributing them and to develop a national plan to phase them out.
“I was tired of having straws melt in my mouth,” Trump previously said.
Concerns about PFAS, sometimes called “forever chemicals,” have also been raised. A 2023 University of Antwerp study found PFAS in 27 of 39 straw brands it tested, with the chemicals detected most often in paper straws.
Separately, the European food-service packaging association 360° Foodservice has said its member companies prohibit PFAS and follow food-contact safety requirements.
