Pernod Ricard bans plastic straws from its business, encourages others to follow suit

Monday, 15 January 2018

Plastic straws are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

One of New Zealand's largest wine producers is taking a stand against plastic straws and stirrers, banning them from all of its events worldwide.

Global drinks giant Pernod Ricard is the latest producer to ditch plastic straws and stirrers following moves by Bacardi, and some UK bar chains. Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington bars have also vowed to ditch, or curb, the use of plastic straws.

Pernod Ricard is encouraging other companies to jump on board the campaign against plastic straws.

In a statement, Pernod Ricard group vice president of sustainability and responsibility Vanessa Wright said a straw used for just 20 minutes could take more than 200 years to break down into smaller pieces and often did not fully disintegrate.

'We know that this type of non-biodegradable plastic is having a detrimental impact on the environment and oceans, and, for us, it's crucial that we play our role in helping to prevent any further damage.'

Paper straws are the original modern straw, dating back to the 1880s.

* Council aims to curb use of plastic straws in Wellington restaurants

* Christchurch bars ditch single-use plastic straws**

This New Year resolution by the company is part of its commitment to reducing its impact on the environment.

Pernod Ricard, which owns Brancott Estate, Stoneleigh and Jacobs Creek wine brands, wants to reduce its waste to landfills from 913 tonnes to zero by 2020.

New Zealanders throw away 541 million straws in a year, with Sustainable Coastlines reporting they are one of the most common items collected during beach clean-ups.

One-use plastic straws are usually made from materials like polypropylene and polystyrene, which can take hundreds of years to degrade.

As a result, Wellington City Council wants to do its part by bulk buying biodegradable paper straws to help bars and restaurants make the transition to more sustainable alternatives.

Some Auckland food outlets are also following suit, with some using stainless steel straws.

Auckland Council's waste solutions general manager Parul Sood said it would be interested in looking at how to implement a straw trial like the one in Wellington.

A handful of New Plymouth bars and restaurants are also taking a stand against plastic straws, and fast food restaurant Nando's has removed straws from all of its New Zealand restaurants.

In December, Hospitality New Zealand spokeswoman Racheal Shadbolt said the move away from plastic straws was gaining momentum.

She doubted that customers would mind if the straws disappeared.

'Nine times out of 10 they don't want them anyway, so why are we doing it?,' Shadbolt said.

Many drinkers pulled the straw out straight away and put it on the table beside them, she said.

'They are simply more of a nuisance factor than anything else.'

The move towards paper straws means going back to the original modern straw, which was invented in the 1880s in the United States. Much cheaper plastic straws took over from the 1970s.