<\/span><\/h2>\nPFAS has become one of the most important due-diligence questions in paper straw sourcing. In August 2023, a Belgian study published in Food Additives & Contaminants tested straw brands made from different materials and found PFAS in 18 of 20 paper straw brands. NBC News summarized the finding as a 90% hit rate among the paper straw brands tested, with PFAS also detected in bamboo and other plant-based alternatives.<\/p>\n
This matters because PFAS can be used to improve water and grease resistance. For a straw, that may sound useful at first: drinks are wet, cold and acidic, and event drinks may sit for a long time over ice. But the same chemistry can create reputational, compliance and compostability risk.<\/p>\n
Compostability expectations have moved in the same direction. Packaging Dive has reported that certified compostable products must have no intentionally added PFAS and total organic fluorine below 100 ppm. For buyers, that turns PFAS-free sourcing from a marketing preference into an RFQ requirement.<\/p>\n
A practical RFQ line is: \u201cSupplier must provide a PFAS statement confirming no intentionally added PFAS and total organic fluorine below the applicable certification threshold.\u201d If measured test data is required by the venue, request the document rather than relying on generic sustainability language.<\/p>\n
tw0909\u2019s owned approach is adhesive-free, PFAS-free one-piece paper straws. That should be understood as a product-construction and material-positioning claim, not as a substitute for buyer-specific documentation where a venue, certifier or importer requires formal test reports.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Certifications that actually clear a venue waste stream<\/span><\/h2>\nPaper is not automatically accepted as compostable. A venue may require BPI-certified products in the United States, OK Compost or EN 13432 alignment in Europe, or a local hauler-approved list. If the wrong certification is used, a \u201cgreen\u201d straw can still be rejected from the compost stream and sent to landfill.<\/p>\n
BPI certification is commonly associated with US compostability programs and ASTM D6400 testing. In Europe, EN 13432 and T\u00dcV Austria OK Compost are often referenced. Public summaries of these standards commonly describe requirements such as at least 90% conversion of organic carbon to carbon dioxide within 180 days under industrial composting conditions, disintegration within roughly 84 days, and limits for ecotoxicity and heavy metals.<\/p>\n
Two myths cause recurring sourcing problems. First, compostable does not mean recyclable. Compost and recycling are different waste streams, and cross-tossing can contaminate both. Second, home compost is not the same as industrial compost. Many certified compostable foodservice items need industrial conditions that are not present in backyard composting.<\/p>\n
BPI, T\u00dcV Austria, ASTM D6400 and EN 13432 are third-party standards and certification contexts, not tw0909 services. Buyers should treat them as destination-market requirements to be matched during procurement.<\/p>\n