Disposable plastic straws have less than four months to live.
In January, the National Development and Reform Commission issued opinions on further strengthening the control of plastic pollution, making it clear that by the end of this year, the entire country’s food and beverage industry will be banned from using non biodegradable disposable plastic straws. “Ban Plastic” deadline, some people see the opportunity to make a fortune: paper Straw and biodegradable material made of polylactic acid straw, plastic straw is currently one of the few alternatives on the market, there will be a huge market demand.
In Zhejiang Yiwu small commodity market, Straw is a traditional strength. In Yiwu, engaged in straw-related businesses gathered, including the country’s largest straw manufacturer, Yiwu Shuangtong Daily Necessities Co. , Ltd. . “Plastic Ban” superimposed on the impact of the epidemic, the first half of this year Yiwu Straw industry bosses may not have a good time. Recently, however, things have started to change.
After months of poor sales in the early part of the year, Wang Yan was able to pick up a lot of new orders last month. Her business specializes in party supplies, of which the paper Straw is the most important. Unlike other products, Wang Yan says, straws don’t have a clear off season, but experience has shown that summer orders tend to be slightly larger. However, with overseas orders lagging, August’s growth was still significantly higher than in previous years.
“It’s mainly because there are a lot more orders in the country. After the ban was announced in January, the market definitely needed a reaction time, and it should be now, ” Wang Yan said, despite a wave of orders, but the total “plastic ban” after the future of the paper Straw is still unclear, but she intuited that “there should be a wave of market.
Zhou Xiaoling also got a lot of orders in recent months, the customer who comes to inquire is in rapid succession, including many domestic famous chain milk tea brands. Paper Straw business for many years, Zhou Xiaoling is not very optimistic about the so-called “market” : “Paper Straw two years ago actually had been fired once, a lot of people who entered the bureau at that time, have not yet recovered. ”
In 2018, Europe introduced a “plastic ban. ”. Under the proposal, the 2021 would ban the use of alternative disposable plastic products, which would naturally include plastic straws. Yiwu businessmen in Zhejiang responded quickly, the production of simple paper Straw soon became popular Bobo. A number of merchants who had never made straws before, Zhou Recalls, also bought expensive equipment and began making paper straws -- a scene that, she recalls, was similar to the blow blown cloth craze of a few months ago.
Not only is the process similar, but so is the outcome. At that time, a large number of low-quality paper Straw filled the market, the price war between peers, and ultimately left a chicken feather. To this day, some people in Yiwu still sell the paper Straw production equipment at a reduced price, and the sequelae still remain today, “At that time, each paper Straw had a profit of about 1 cent, ” Zhou said. “Now there are only a few centimetres left. With such a small profit, why stir-fry? ”
In addition to paper straws, polylactic acid straws are also a great alternative to plastic straws. The Straw is closer to a plastic Straw in texture and appearance than a paper Straw. Zhao Liyang, who also does Straw business in Yiwu, focuses on overseas markets. The domestic ban on plastic has no significant impact on her business, but it does not affect her observation of the industry. She believes that the poly-lactic acid straw and traditional plastic straw production process is highly similar, the production enterprise transformation is relatively easy, poly-lactic acid straw future or will become the mainstream.
The transition is not entirely without barriers. Zhao Liyang said that polylactic acid raw materials cost high, small production, in recent years the price is all the way up; at the same time, although the production process is similar, the same production equipment, but still involves many technical problems. “plastic ban on the impact of small factories will be relatively large. For the industry, the next will certainly experience a new round of big waves Taosha. ” Zhao Liyang said poly-lactic acid straw is unlikely to become the object of speculation.
Paper Straw or poly lactic acid straw, it seems that the straw industry even if there is “market” , was crazy “fried” up the possibility is not big. For businessmen, blind speculation is not desirable, you can look at a few months ago melt-blown cloth and a few years ago paper Straw; for ordinary consumers, you can rest assured that “ban plastic” will not affect everyone happy to drink milk tea.