Manufacturing The Good Straw
Bloomberg Businessweek|October 08, 2018
For Aardvark, making a paper straw that lasts for hours is easyits meeting demand thats hard
Kate Krader
Manufacturing The Good Straw

Last fall, Porchlight, a Southern-themed cocktail lounge in New York City operated by the Union Square Hospitality Group, decided to ditch plastic straws. So Mark Maynard, the bar’s director of operations, decided his staff would test some eco-friendly alternatives. They placed 20 different paper straws in glasses of water. The one from Aardvark, the only company that makes paper straws commercially in the U.S., was the standout, he says. It held together better than the rest for well over an hour.

Offering Aardvark’s straws at Porchlight took a little longer than expected. When the bar’s procurement office contacted the Fort Wayne, Ind., company to place an order, it was told the wait time could be as long as three months. “They said, ‘We’re sorry. A lot of people have jumped on board recently,’ ” Maynard says.

Aardvark got back into the business of making straws in 2007—its roots are in a company dating to 1888 that invented the paper straw—largely because of a growing anti-plastic movement and increasing demand for eco-friendly products. Several companies, including Walt Disney Co. and the Ted’s Montana Grill restaurants founded by Ted Turner, reached out to Aardvark that year, asking if it might again make the paper straws it was once known for, according to David Rhodes, the company’s global business director. More than 30 years after the onslaught of plastic put an end to that part of its business, Aardvark re engineered its process, refined the paper and the glues used in manufacturing, and issued a basic white straw.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 08, 2018-Ausgabe von Bloomberg Businessweek.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 08, 2018-Ausgabe von Bloomberg Businessweek.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKAlle anzeigen
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 Minuten  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 Minuten  |
March 20 - 27, 2023