KOREAHERALD.COM | OCTOBER 21, 2026
The Comprehensive Study/Survey on Single-Use (or Disposable) Straws was commissioned by South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and carried out by the Korean Society for Life Cycle Assessment between May 2025 and April 2026. Findings were disclosed around 21 October 2026 by opposition People Power Party lawmaker Kim Wi-sang.
The study referred to is a government-commissioned life-cycle assessment (LCA) report, not a peer-reviewed journal paper.?
Koreaherald
Key reported results:
- Paper straws scored 6.33 times higher than conventional plastic (polypropylene) straws on a modelled human carcinogenic impact measure across the full life cycle (raw materials ? manufacturing ? disposal). This is a modelled emissions-based impact category, not a measure of cancer risk from drinking through a straw.
- Paper straws also had 2.04 times the acidification impact.
- Biodegradable plastic scored 3.34× on the carcinogenic measure and 1.98× on acidification.
- Bio-based polyethylene (bio-PE, e.g., from sugarcane) performed worse still (16.18× carcinogenic).
- Conventional plastic had the lowest impact in 10 of 16 categories assessed (including climate change, acidification, particulate matter, and human toxicity). The assessment used Korean waste statistics (?73.6% incineration, 26.4% landfill).?
The full official report does not appear to be freely published online as a public PDF (it was obtained/released via the lawmaker’s office). The most direct English-language reporting is:
- The Korea Herald (primary coverage cited by many outlets, including SCMP/Economic Times):
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10911494
Other useful summaries:
- South China Morning Post: https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3371936/paper-straws-worse-environment-plastic-south-korea-study-finds
- Packaging Insights summary: https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/south-korea-straw-lifecycle-study.html
Note on a different Korean study:
There is a separate peer-reviewed paper on PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in disposable straws sold in Korea that found higher levels in paper straws. That is not the study described in the Economic Times article (which focuses on the LCA environmental-impact comparison). The PFAS paper is available via PubMed/ResearchGate under the title “Occurrence and composition of PFAS in disposable straws from the Korean Market.”
A FEW OF MANY LINKS COVERING THE STORY:
The Economic Times piece is reporting secondary coverage of the Ministry-commissioned LCA report via SCMP/Korea Herald.
NIH – National Library of Medicine
Last Updated on November 8, 2026 by Real KBrett