TOKYO -- After a shocking video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck in its nose went viral in 2015, a move to ban plastic straws surfaced among many food-related companies, both in Japan and abroad. But how significant are such bans in terms of countermeasures against environmental pollution and climate change?

The Mainichi Shimbun interviewed three major restaurant businesses that did away with plastic straws: McDonald's Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd., Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd., and Skylark Holdings Co. Ltd., which operates multiple restaurant chains in Japan. Skylark reported that the abolishment of plastic straws resulted in a plastic reduction of 87 metric tons. Starbucks, which introduced paper straws, now plans to replace them with biodegradable plastic ones in 2025.

According to the Plastic Waste Management Institute, a total of 8.23 million tons of plastic waste was discarded in Japan in 2022. The reduction from eliminating regular plastic straws seems relatively small in comparison. However, food and beverage chains have taken further steps to reduce the amount of plastic overall. Measures include switching to reusable cups for in-store use, and reducing the use of plastic in children's toys. This has led to a 1,350-ton reduction in plastic for McDonalds, and a 3,500-ton reduction for Starbucks. It can be said that the straw initiative has opened the way for some tangible results.

However, issues with such initiatives have been raised.

Comprehensive measures necessary

In restaurants, paper straws are sometimes used in place of plastic ones. Yukihiro Misawa, circular economy manager and plastics policy manager at WWF Japan, stated, "We need to thoroughly verify whether this truly reduces the environmental impact." He stresses the importance of ensuring that materials are sustainably sourced, by obtaining credible international certifications, for example.

"The elimination of plastic straws played a major role in raising consumer awareness. However, more comprehensive measures are necessary," Misawa says. He adds it is important to address the issue at the "upstream" stage where companies design products, having them reduce the amount of plastic they use and creating reusable products.

Japan's volume 2nd biggest in world per capita

Why is it necessary to reduce plastic waste? Misawa points out that global issues are at stake.

Japan ranks second in the world, after the United States, in per capita plastic container and packaging waste. According to the Ministry of Finance's trade statistics, plastic scrap exports reached about 600,000 tons in 2023.

"We export plastic waste that cannot be processed domestically to Southeast Asia," Misawa says, with Malaysia and Vietnam among the common destinations.

"These countries have low plastic waste collection rates and the highest leakage rates. Even when the waste is collected, much of it improperly goes into landfills, placing a huge burden on the environment. It's questionable whether proper disposal is ensured after export," he says.

According to data from the Ministry of the Environment, there have also been reports of labels attached to plastics and other materials not suitable for recycling being incinerated in simple furnaces without exhaust gas processing systems. Plastic products not only contribute to marine pollution, but greenhouse gases are emitted during their production and incineration, and they are becoming a major cause of climate change.

Accordingly, in addition to reducing production volumes, designing products that allow for reuse and recycling is important. It can be said that companies must consider the full cycle up to the final "exit" when providing products and services.

(Japanese original by Reiko Ide, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)