PUPILS at a Glasgow primary school are helping Müller to trial paper straws, after contacting the dairy company voicing their concerns over the environmental impact of using plastic straws.
Sunnyside Primary School accepted Müller’s offer to trial the paper straws developed in partnership with Tetra Pak. Further trials will also be taken at Müller’s Bridgewater site.
If the trials prove to be successful, Müller say the permanent roll out of the paper straws will begin by the end of March 2020 – eliminating 48 tonnes of plastic, the firm says.
Lisa Perrie, principal teacher at Sunnyside Primary School, said, “It is wonderful for our young conservationists to get their hands on a product first discussed between the Sunnyside Ocean Defenders and Müller over eighteen months ago.
“Müller keeping the children up to date on developments not only shows our young people that their opinion is valued, but that companies like Müller can be the change in reducing the impact of single use plastic.
“Our Ocean Defenders appreciate that this took time, investment and quite a bit of elbow grease from the Müller team, but the quality of the product today shows that this hard work has paid off. Our pupils loved it!”
Gareth Budd, head of customer innovation at Müller milk & ingredients, commented, “The pupils at Sunnyside Primary School have a real passion for positive change, and were an inspiration. We thank them for their valued participation in the trial, and now we’re fully focused on removing all plastic straws from our school milk by the end of 2020.”
Charles Brand, president of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia said, “It is important that we launch a sustainable paper straw that is fully functional, recyclable and does not compromise on food safety. We also recognise our responsibility to provide sustainable solutions to our customers that will enable us, as a collective, to move towards a low carbon circular economy.
“We believe this trial is a fantastic way to truly test and receive feedback, and it’s great to receive such a positive reaction to using the new paper straws. We are happy to work together with Müller to roll out paper straws and help them realise their commitment to drive down plastic.”
