50/ 100
F

PFAS score

White Paper Straws

BioPak · Paper Straws

White Paper Straws

F · High PFAS

Lower-concern choice; BioPak explicitly avoids PFAS in straws, but verify on each purchase.

BioPak white paper straws use a polyethylene (PE) coating and explicitly claim to be PFAS-free without fluorinated water-repellent coating treatments. No third-party lab testing is publicly available to confirm the claim.

Brand says: “BioPak straws are manufactured without added PFAS chemicals and the packaging does not require fluorinated water and grease resistant coatings

The safe swap

World Centric Compostable Straws

World Centric

World Centric Compostable Straws

100/100 safety

A

Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.

Material

Paper with PE coating

Brand disclosure

Brand claims PFAS-free

Lab data

No public lab test

Why this grade

Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment

water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS.

Hurts the grade

Category baseline

food packaging is a category where PFAS exposure is more common.

Hurts the grade

Brand-stated PFAS-free

The brand states the product is PFAS-free (self-declared).

Helps the grade

What we don’t know

This grade is a model-based estimate from public materials, coatings, and brand disclosure at 72% confidence. It is not a lab result.

No independent PFAS lab test is on record for this exact product. A lab test could move the score in either direction.

Formulations and coatings change between production runs. Always check the current label before buying.

Safer alternatives in Paper Straws

World Centric Compostable Straws

World Centric

Compostable Straws

Plant-based cellulose (PHA/PLA blend), compostable

A
B
PFASAll
A · Very low PFAS3 flags

Lower-concern choice; compostable material + explicit PFAS-free claim + third-party certifications reduce risk substantially.

BPI Certified CompostableCarbon TrustMade Safe (PFAS-free certified)

Verified PFAS-free by a third party

Vegware Compostable Standard Straws (6500ct)

Vegware

Compostable Standard Straws (6500ct)

Polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastic

A
A
PFASAll
A · Very low PFAS2 flags

Lower concern; compostable PLA straws with credible third-party compostability certs and explicit PFAS-free positioning.

OK compost CERTIFICATION (EN 13432)Seedling mark (European compostability)Carbon Neutral Certified

Verified PFAS-free by a third party

Green stripe Jumbo Vegware wrapped PLA

Vegware

Green stripe Jumbo Vegware wrapped PLA

PLA (polylactic acid) compostable plastic

A
C
PFASAll
A · Very low PFAS2 flags

Lower concern; PLA itself carries minimal PFAS risk, and Vegware makes no intentional additions, but verify end-of-life composting.

EN 13432 (industrial compostability)OK CompostHome Compost (select products)

Risky category by default

More paper straws grades

How we score: every product runs through the same public 0–100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.