Hello everyone, Mr. Stroodles here!
During lockdown I’ve been a very busy bee indeed! Not only have I been creating our new, very fun website for you all to enjoy, I have also decided that it’s about time I launch my very own blog. I thought it would be a great way for me to share with you all what is happening here at Stroodles HQ, and it also gives me the opportunity to share interesting articles on how to help our environment, some stroodling drinks recipes and many, many more exciting things! My main objective of starting this blog is to make you smile, keep you entertained and teach you something new every time I post! So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Deciding where to start is always the hardest part when it comes to writing. Lots of topics have come to mind for this first article - and the fact that I AM SUCH AN OVERSHARER doesn’t help the situation at all! But then I thought, why am I doing this? Why am I spending all my time trying to get all you lovely people stroodling?! And so, BAM, there’s my idea. I’m going to fill you all in on what I am trying to achieve with Stroodles, because we are not just another straw company! Read on to find out why what makes us different…
Image Credit: ecowithem_
Did you know that in the UK alone 1 million straws are consumed every HOUR (which is 8.5 billion straws per YEAR!)? Did you know that McDonalds in the UK alone uses 3.5 million straws per day!? The fact that so many straws have been discarded into the world’s oceans and beaches has led to the EU finally deciding to ban the use of single - use plastic by 2021, and the UK by October this year, with the plastic straw becoming the face of the ban. While this is really fantastic news and definitely something to celebrate, the straw industry is a HUGE industry, and unfortunately there are still many, many countries going through millions of plastic straws every second, and are not planning on stopping any time soon.
The straw industry is worth a whopping $4.5bn globally, and is said to grow to $9bn+ in 2022! So while many countries are making an effort to reduce their plastic waste, it is clear that this forecast doesn’t see this to be enough. While the plastic straw problem (and of course the use of single use plastic in general) is a huge global problem that all of you are aware of, I think the shocking statistics mentioned above highlight actually how big the issue is, and really puts it all into perspective!
Source: Billions of Discarded Straws
While everyone is aware of the plastic straw problem and the huge detrimental impact it is having on our beautiful planet, the vast majority of people who want to help save our planet don’t actually know where to start, as all the changes presented to them seem radical, significant and above all compromising to lifestyle. Being inspired by zero - waste chief Anne - Marie Bonneau’s quote “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly”, and an understanding that if many people make small positive changes it will cause a ripple effect and therefore eventually lead to something much bigger, my main ambition is to inspire the world to make small (and above all EASY!) changes, that will then contribute to making a big difference and create a positive ripple effect.
So yes, while there are radical changes that need to be made to make our planet cleaner (for example getting rid of cars, switching to clean energy and using more electric cars), there are tons of smaller changes that we can ALL make, which will help leave a positive impact. In order to become the go - to straw alternative, I knew I needed to offer the world a straw that doesn’t compromise their drinking experience (like paper straws do!) nor their lifestyle, so that people don’t even notice that they are making a change. Stroodles was therefore set up to fight plastic waste on a large scale by introducing products that are uncompromising and enable easy changes to the world, making sustainability easier for everyone. On the flip side of that, I also wanted the world to realise how easy it can be to make changes, and therefore for Stroodles to become a gateway for positive change.
Someone once told me about a theory that states that in order for individuals to make behavioural changes, they require 12 - 13 touchpoints. My goal is therefore to be one of those touchpoints, which causes stroodlers to subconsciously create some sort of awareness inside a Stroodler - awareness on how easy it can be to make positive changes. My goal of being one of these touchpoints is that hopefully next time someone is faced with an opportunity to make an easy change (i.e. not pick the plastic wrapped cucumber at the supermarket) they will do so!
Stroodles are a fun and engaging concept. They are most certainly a novelty and a talking point, and Mr. Stroodles (our mascot) welcomes everyone to make positive changes, while also putting a smile on every Stroodler’s face. It is in that atmosphere that is subconsciously created that one can make their own conclusions and reach a state of awareness. For some it is questioning why there is pasta straw and not a plastic straw in their drink, and for others it is their mere excitement about the idea that makes them remember it and tell their friends (and subconsciously this creates awareness). This is exactly what the Stroodles Movement is all about. It’s about taking action, in an easy and uncompromising way, and showing the world how easy it is to make small sustainable changes, ‘one Stroodle at a time’.
Our commitment to spreading awareness and encouraging change doesn’t stop here. While we do support charities, such as Plastic Oceans UK, who help raise awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on our oceans, we want to do even more to help spread awareness about the problem, inspire change and offer practical solutions.
We have lots of ideas of “projects” that we are currently working on, and are extremely keen to make them happen at some point in the near future. We would love your help and support with any of the ideas below, so please do send us a message if you would like to get involved in any way, shape or form, or if you have any other ideas on what we could do!
We have been very inspired by our friends in Vietnam, who launched https://thestrawpocalypse.com/, where they collected plastic straws to create a gigantic piece of art! At Stroodles HQ we would love to create something similar to this, and get local schools and artists involved to support us. Rather than bars and restaurants throwing away plastic straws (with the risk of them ending up in our waterways) let’s rather do something powerful with them!
Source: The Strawpocalypse
Another project that we have in mind is to find, and work with disadvantaged groups in local communities, teaching them to create “straw merchandise” from used plastic straws, that we can then sell on our website and/or provide to our bars, and of course have the proceeds benefit the local communities.
That’s all from me today! Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my first blog post, and looking forward to writing another one soon!
Now that I have let you in on the soul of our company, I hope you’ll help us spread the Stroodles movement!
Mr. Stroodles x
