STONE MOUNTAIN, GA.—Consumers can now use straws in good conscience thanks to a new drinking straw, phade, created by WinCup, Inc. phade is a breakthrough marine biodegradable drinking straw made with PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a substrate derived from canola oil. The straw is also compostable in home and industrial environments, and phade maintains the feel and user experience of a traditional plastic straw.
Consumers are invited to “Meet Your Last Straw” and try phade straws for free beginning on National Drinking Straw Day, January 3, 2021. Anyone who “likes” phade on Instagram or “friends” phade on Facebook will receive a free sample while supplies last. Visitors will be directed to www.SendMeTheLastStraw.com to request sample phade straws.*
“WinCup is relentless in ever-improving its products to minimize environmental impacts while maintaining an optimal user experience,” said WinCup CEO Brad Laporte. “phade is the last straw people will ever need. It is truly in a class of its own; this unique product biodegrades and composts in a matter of months while meeting consumers’ needs and high expectations without sacrificing performance. phade is created with natural biopolymers, allowing it to return to nature as safely and as quickly as possible. We’re extraordinarily proud of what we’ve achieved with phade®. WinCup’s scalability allows us to make this straw available nationally.”
Tested, Then Tested Again
The development of phade involved a rigorous testing and certification process. This includes TUV AUSTRIA, a globally recognized independent 3rd party certifying body. TUV determined that the phade material will biodegrade in a marine or soil environment and compost in both industrial and backyard settings. BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute, Inc.) has also verified that phade is compostable in an industrial environment. phade also complies with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food contact safety regulations for cold drinks.
The key to phade’s breakthrough is the use of the canola oil-based substrate PHA, created by Danimer Scientific. Its patented Nodax PHA is the first of its kind to be used at the industrial level. Danimer and WinCup received the 2020 Innovation in Bioplastics Award from the Bioplastics Division of PLASTICS (The Plastics Industry Association) for their joint work on phade.
The emergence of phade straws comes as demand increases for a viable alternative to a traditional plastic straw. Both paper straws and vegetable-based polylactic acid (PLA) straws present challenges that phade overcomes. Paper straws lack durability, get soggy, and break down during long term use, and biodegradation performance varies. PLA straws are not marine biodegradable or home compostable, and excessive heat presents shipping and warehousing challenges.
“phade® will be a game changer in the food and beverage industry,” said Michael Winters, WinCup’s President and Chief Revenue Officer. “Businesses are looking for environmentally-friendly products that meet customers’ expectations. Without fail, those who try a phade straw are amazed that a product so sturdy has such a minimal impact on the environment. We see tremendous potential for phade as we continue to develop innovative, sustainable solutions for our industry.”
