Small change, big impact: metal straws

Eco-friendly alternatives for every-day products have engulfed the consumer market in the past decade. Among these, the metal straw stands tall as a current, trendy and exportable accessory to our beverages. But how effective are they in combatting the plastic crisis?

We must admit: the metal straw is a stylish utensil. Its desirability stems from a perceived edginess and alternative charm. To some, they are tools of activism, lending the feeling that you are minimising plastic waste as you sip. But you cannot save the world by sipping through a metal straw. Even less when you have plastic straws sitting in your cupboard.

Eco-friendly alternatives for every-day products have engulfed the consumer market in the past decade

A recent study has shown that the energy used to produce a single metal straw is equivalent to the energy required to produce 90 plastic straws. Therefore, you would have to use a metal straw at least 150 times for it to claim more sustainable than its plastic alternative. We are rightly conditioned to taboo the plastic straw but perhaps the metal straw is a devil in disguise.  

It’s a tragic irony that we often feel we have to buy more ‘stuff’ to achieve zero-waste. Believing that we can solve the plastic straw problem by merely replacing its material feeds into the unhealthy principle that we can minimise the damage of consumerism by continuing to consume. We must remember that consumerism is the enemy of sustainability.

A recent study has shown that the energy used to produce a single metal straw is equivalent to the energy required to produce 90 plastic straws

I must confess to owning both metal and plastic straws. Regrettably, I caved into the vogue of the metal straw before using up my plastic ones first. I have since realised that they contain no greater excitement than a plastic one and quickly lose their novelty.  

My sister, on the other hand, is an avid user of the metal straw. She reckons she can claim to have used it over 150 times, owing to the Youtubers and ‘Tik-Tokers’ she watches that remind her of the benefits of the metal straw as they sip in style on camera. She can claim to sip not only stylishly, but sustainably too.

We are in danger of the metal straw becoming another unhealthy consumer lifestyle

Ultimately, however, straws are an accessory, not a necessity. They are one of many examples by which the consumer market has convinced us of the ‘need’ for something senseless. We are in danger of the metal straw becoming another unhealthy consumer lifestyle. Although my sister admirably goes further than myself in making actual use of her metal straw, it is still another product that the world could do without.

Often the hope of reducing plastic waste is forfeited by the very packaging of metal straws. Even worse, the aim to reduce the CO2 emissions behind plastic production is forfeited if you are shipping or buying metal straws online. By buying a metal straw, we may unwittingly be harming the environment.  

We should consider that to best care for our environment is to resist the deceptive allure of the metal straw altogether

The sustainability of the metal straw is, by and large, a myth. The intentions behind its purchase may well be innocent or environmentally benevolent, but we must consider that to buy one is to feed a production line that hurts our planet.

If one has to use a straw, perhaps for medical reasons, or can promise to use their metal straws religiously, its purchase can be justified as a wise investment. Even better, they could purchase one second-hand. But for all others, we should consider that to best care for our environment is to resist the deceptive allure of the metal straw altogether.