Danimer Scientific and Eagle Beverage to Produce Biodegradable Drinking Straws

Danimer Scientific, a leading developer and manufacturer of biodegradable materials, and Eagle Beverage Products, a specialty beverage manufacturer, today announced they will produce biodegradable drinking straws for the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry. The straws will degrade in environments ranging from industrial composting facilities to home compost units and oceans without leaving behind microplastics.

Eagle Beverage will manufacture the straws using Danimer Scientific’s proprietary biopolymer, Nodax™ polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Tested by University of Georgia (UGA) researchers and the UGA New Materials Institute, PHA is made from sustainable materials, such as canola oil, to produce a proven biodegradable alternative to traditional petrochemical plastics. The straws are expected to be available for Eagle Beverage’s QSR customers to purchase in early 2021. After launching the straws, Eagle Beverage plans to explore expanding its offerings to include compostable food containers, packaging and more.

“Reducing the impact of plastic waste is a critical issue across the country, but consumers have limited ways to find eco-friendly alternatives at fast food restaurants,” said Eagle Beverage Vice President Aisha Kabani. “By partnering with Danimer Scientific to produce a reliably biodegradable straw, we will provide a cost-effective solution for restaurants to deliver guilt-free beverage enjoyment to their customers. Petrochemical straws break down into harmful microplastics and never fully degrade, but these PHA straws will completely degrade in a matter of months.”

The straws will be 100% made in the United States as Danimer Scientific produces Nodax PHA™ in its Kentucky- and Georgia-based facilities, while Eagle Beverage manufactures the straws in its Kent, Wash.-based facility. Danimer Scientific’s Nodax™ PHA possesses seven TÜV AUSTRIA certifications and statements of industrial and home compostability, is biodegradable in anaerobic conditions, soil, freshwater and marine environments and is 100% bio-based. All of Danimer Scientific’s biopolymers, including its Nodax™ PHA, are FDA approved for food contact.

“PHA has become the go-to material for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic that do not sacrifice reliability or quality,” said Danimer Scientific CEO Stephen Croskrey. “Eagle Beverage has established robust relationships with some of the largest fast food chains in the country, so we look forward to partnering with them on supplying the industry with biodegradable straws.”

On October 5, 2020, Danimer Scientific and Live Oak Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: LOAK), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, announced the entry into a definitive agreement for a business combination that will result in Danimer Scientific becoming a public company on the New York Stock Exchange.

About Danimer Scientific

Danimer Scientific is a pioneer in creating more sustainable, more natural ways to make plastic products. For more than a decade, our renewable and sustainable biopolymers have helped create plastic products that are biodegradable and compostable. They return to nature instead of polluting our lands and waters. Our technology can be found in a vast array of plastic end products that people use every day. Applications for our biopolymers include additives, aqueous coatings, fibers, filaments, films, hot-melt adhesives and injection-molded articles, among others. We now hold more than 150 granted patents and pending patent applications in more than 20 countries for a range of manufacturing processes and biopolymer formulations.

About Eagle Beverage

Eagle Beverage Products has manufactured specialty beverage products in Kent, Wash. since 1970. Our product line includes cocktail mixers, energy drinks, coffee syrups, gourmet sauces, frappe mixes, hot chocolates, apple ciders, sweet spices, beverage straws and a variety of other products designed for food service. Our products are found under a variety of brand names and they are all manufactured in our Washington-based facility using premium ingredients and high-end quality packaging.