McDonald’s Japan and Starbucks Stop Selling Paper Straws

When the image of a sea turtle with a plastic straw protruding from its nose went viral, people around the world took notice. In the years since, major corporations around the world have made efforts to reduce and replace their plastic straws with more eco-friendly options. Unfortunately, these new options have become less than popular, as both Starbucks and McDonald’s in Japan have revealed. In a recent move by both companies, paper straws will no longer be offered at their locations.

Why Did the World Move to Paper Straws?

The world’s heavy reliance on petroleum-based plastics has had a major environmental impact for decades. Countless debates, discussions, and arguments have been made about how the world can collectively combat its reliance on single-use plastics. This has resulted in companies downsizing their packaging, replacing plastic and metal twist ties with paper, and, in the fast-food industry, replacing plastic straws with paper ones.

The move hasn’t been without its merits. The trend kick-started other major companies’ efforts to reduce plastic waste, from toys and electronics to food production and beyond. It might not seem like a particularly large move to make, shifting from plastic to paper, but think about the sheer hundreds of millions of straws that are used every day, all around the world.

Rather than letting all of that plastic sit in a landfill, or worse, a turtle’s nose, paper straws are biodegradable, thus reducing the issue of waste. The problem, however, is that they seem to be a bit too degradable. Not to mention, some people found the straws hard to use.

The Problems With Paper Straws

Consumers say the biggest problem with paper straws is that they’re flimsy and can even change the taste of drinks. At McDonald’s and Starbucks, many have also complained about their texture, calling the mouthfeel unpleasant.

As other consumers reported, the paper’s taste was evident regardless of what they were drinking. While these issues are fairly innocuous, as no one has gotten hurt from using a paper straw, there have been enough complaints over the past few years that the companies have taken notice.

What are the effects of this policy change in places like McDonald’s Japan?

While it is disheartening to see a shift away from eco-friendly straws, there is a silver lining to this issue. Major companies are reverting to their old plastic straws rather than those made with 30% biomass-based plastic. In short, plastic straws are returning, but they won’t be fully synthetic—they’ll include almost half biological materials.

Mos Food Services Inc. has taken another step to reduce plastic straw use by shortening its straws by 1 centimeter. It may seem like a tiny change, but if a billion straws are made, that’s a billion centimeters of plastic saved. One billion centimeters equals 10,000 kilometers, or 6213.712 miles. Over six thousand miles of plastic won’t be manufactured by the simple decision to reduce the length of a single straw by one centimeter. How cool is that?

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Are Paper Straws Still the Best Option?

Of course, the larger discussion is whether straws are even necessary on the scale of consumer goods. In November of 2025, McDonald’s in Japan ceased offering paper straws and instead started offering strawless lids. These new lids have a small spout that allows consumers to sip their drinks, like a traditional single-use coffee cup. 

An argument can be made that a food service company should offer its customers products that are easy to use and accessible to all. Some people may have difficulty handling cups, and younger children aren’t yet ready to handle a full cup of liquid on their own. For these individuals, having a straw can be a very useful and convenient add-on to their meal.

As environmental concerns grow, the world is rethinking its impact on the planet. This raises a key question: is the convenience of a plastic straw worth its environmental cost? This is in no way stating that consumers who use straws are ecologically destructive or uncaring, not at all. It simply raises the question of how we can continue to live our lives more conscientiously. 

While Starbucks and McDonald’s have moved to remove paper straws from their locations, it remains to be seen what other major global chains will do in the coming year. What are your opinions on plastic straws? Have you used them before? Do you like them? Please let us know! We’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter!