An assortment of beers from Greene King. Credit: Rachel Clarke.

British pub retailer and brewer Greene King is set to introduce compostable polylactic acid (PLA) straws across its 1,750 pubs in a move to reduce waste and send zero waste to landfill by 2020.

PLA is made using plant-based materials such as sugar cane and corn starch, which decomposes naturally in a controlled composting environment inside 12 weeks. The use of PLA straws is expected to eliminate more than 30 million plastic straws every year.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The announcement follows the pub chain’s decision to remove its recyclable plastic straws from the bar and to serve them only on demand.

Greene King communications director Greg Sage said: “We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and reducing single use plastics in our business.

“We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and reducing single use plastics in our business.”

“At the beginning of the year we removed our recyclable straws from the bar and provided them only on demand, which saw a 60% reduction, while we looked at a more sustainable alternative.

“We have taken the time to listen to our customers as we know how important this issue is. Our closed-loop solution will ensure all PLA straws are correctly disposed of and decomposed into nutrient-rich soil, providing peace of mind for our customers who like the choice of a straw with their drink.”

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

In addition, the company has partnered with its waste partner, SWRnewstar, to collect the PLA straws from the pubs to decompose them in ‘In Vessel composter’ (IVC) at a commercial composting facility.

The company will recycle the decomposed straws into nutrient-rich soil used to fertilise plants and crops.