Out with the plastic straws, in with the bamboo.

Can a bamboo straw really make a difference?

I have asked myself this question many times since beginning my journey with The Friendly Panda.

My initial euphoria at naively ‘having the answer to the UK’s problem with plastic straws’ lasted a few months. 

I became very busy! 

I was already working 4 days a week in a regular job and now I was entering the world of running my own business alongside. Practical solutions had to be found…. Where would I source my straws from? How did I know they were being ethically grown? How would I get them safely into the UK? What were the regulations behind importing? How do I set up a platform to advertise? 

How do I know the UK’s appetite for the straw?

This one was key! Did anyone else feel that a bamboo straw could help? 

When I began to delve deeper into the reasons why plastic straws were becoming demonised, the answer came at me from all sides–it was the problem of sustainability, of protecting our oceans, and our immense vulnerability to the global climate.

The intricacies behind setting up my business in a sustainable fashion were also growing day by day and this is when I seriously began to doubt myself, and my ‘wonderful idea’!

Could the humble bamboo straw really make a difference?

Well, I’m now 9 months into my wonderful idea. A little battered I must admit and I have learnt a great deal, but I am really happy to say that I do passionately believe that, YES, the bamboo straw can make a difference. Perhaps not all on its own, but it is a brilliant tool to kick start the conversation about the ways in which can all help.

When you are seen using the little bamboo tube in your drink, you are giving out the message to everyone that you care! That you are aware of the huge task we all have ahead of us, and that you have thought about your own impact on the world.

Give it a try!