"If You Don't Change the Straw, I Won't Buy It" Sales Plummet... Capri Sun Returns to Using Plastic Straws

Nongshim to Change Straw Material from November
Consumer Complaints Surge After Last Year's Material Change
Decision to Revert Change Following Sales Decline

Nongshim announced on the 29th that the straw material provided for the beverage brand ‘Capri Sun’ will change from paper to plastic starting in November. The actual sales timing may vary depending on the distribution channel. This change comes about 20 months after applying paper straws in February last year.

A Nongshim official stated, “Despite continuous efforts to improve the quality of paper straws, we decided to switch back to plastic straws due to ongoing consumer requests.”

Nongshim had previously switched Capri Sun straw material from plastic to paper, but consumer complaints surged as the paper straws did not pierce the packaging well, leading to two rounds of quality improvements. In July last year, Nongshim adjusted the cutting angle of the paper straw ends, and in November, they reinforced the straw strength through surface treatment.

However, consumers continued to raise complaints about the unique smell and texture of paper straws and the dampening effect over time. These consumer complaints led to a decline in Capri Sun sales. Nongshim’s Capri Sun sales, which had maintained 9 million boxes annually, decreased by 13% last year and further declined by 16% up to the third quarter of this year.

A Nongshim official emphasized, “This change is an unavoidable measure considering consumer convenience,” and added, “However, Nongshim will continue to pursue changes and policies for environmental protection, such as reducing plastic usage.”

So far, Nongshim has removed plastic trays from Saengsaeng Udon, replaced bundled packaging with bands, and minimized ink usage on bagged bundle packaging, thereby reducing plastic and ink consumption. In particular, last year, changes in product packaging methods and materials reduced 1,990 tons of plastic, and Nongshim has been focusing on environmental management by recording nine cases of plastic substitution.