Just a year after surpassing the one billion straw milestone, phade® continues its astronomical mission of ridding the planet of plastic thanks to skyrocketing growth
ATLANTA, July 15, 2024 – WinCup Inc., the manufacturer of phade®, the world’s first marine biodegradable, home and industrial compostable blue drinking straw, announced today that the company has officially replaced over two billion harmful petroleum-based plastic and paper straws. When lined up end-to-end, that’s enough phade® straws to reach the moon.
“We’re extremely proud to reach this milestone, but we’ve only just begun,” said Michael Winters, President and CRO of WinCup. “The world’s plastic waste crisis is vast and will require many solutions. I hope that what we’ve been able to do with phade® straws is indicative of the role innovation can play in replacing harmful plastics. We’ve certainly been inspired to explore several other applications using phade® technology beyond straws to expand our mission of curbing plastic pollution and look forward to introducing new solutions to the market.”
Made with PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), a meaningful new biopolymer derived from the fermentation of canola oil, phade® straws maintain the feel and user experience of traditional plastic straws but will safely biodegrade and return to nature in a matter of months. phade® has become popular among consumers as well as major restaurant and hospitality brands, professional sports venues, airports and retail outlets nationwide. phade® also gained national attention recently after it was revealed that marine scientists are using the straws in coral reef restoration efforts in Florida thanks to the brand’s marine biodegradability.
Giving consumers and businesses an environmentally superior, innovative and affordable straw option inspired Los Angeles-based Atar Capital to acquire WinCup in 2020. The global private investor saw tremendous promise in WinCup’s commitment to developing PHA for the marketplace, a projection that has proven accurate as phade® surpasses the two billion straw milestone.
“It’s amazing to see how far the phade® brand has grown in only a few short years,” said Cyrus Nikou, founder of Atar Capital. “The momentum that WinCup has built with phade® is phenomenal. Just last year we celebrated as phade® surpassed one billion straws, and I think we’ll hit three billion even quicker. Congratulations to phade® for this achievement, and I’m even more excited for phade® customers and consumers who can feel good knowing their straw of choice is both enjoyable to use and safe for the environment.”
The development of phade® involved a rigorous testing and certification process. TÜV AUSTRIA, a globally recognized independent third-party certifying body, certified phade® as both industrial and home compostable in a matter of months. TÜV also certified the material from which the phade® straw is made as marine biodegradable. Additionally, the Biodegradable Products Institute Inc. (BPI) has certified phade® as industrial compostable.
“To say we’ve replaced enough harmful plastic and paper straws with phade® to reach the moon is a testament to the product performing as it was developed and certified to do,” added Brad Laporte, WinCup’s Chief Executive Officer. “It took a tremendous amount of work to get here and now it’s paying off not just for the brand, but more importantly for the planet. We have a lot more work to do, and we’re eager to keep moving on to the next leg of our journey.”
WinCup, a leader in foodservice products manufacturing, has won numerous awards for the development of phade®, including the 2020 Innovation in Biopolymer Award from the Plastics Industry Association, and the 2021 Innovation in Foodservice Award for Sustainability Solutions from the National Restaurant Association. phade® was also recognized as a finalist or honorable mention in 4 out of 5 categories in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.
