▲ Dongil Pra Tech / CEO Jihyun Kim

Eco-friendly is one of the most frequently used ingredients on the media today. Catching the momentum, companies pour products marked with this commonly convincing term on their package from food to daily necessities. Governments are introducing tougher regulations on pollutant substances including cars and disposable products and the Korean Environment Ministry recently announced a mid and long term roadmap that bans use of paper cups in cafes and restaurants from 2021 and plastic straws from 2022. A turtle with bleeding nose from a plastic straw shocked the world and it was a wakeup call for all human beings on earth to make actions to stop this cruelty. So it is only encouraging that a Korean company Dongil Pra Tech has released 100% naturally disposable straw ‘Diang’.

“Straw touches our lips first.
We value hygiene
As much as eco-friendliness”

Says CEO Jihyun Kim. Diang is made and managed under the FSSC 22000 standard issued by GFSI (Global Food Safety Institute) that is being recognized as a global food market guideline as shown in big food brands such as Nestle, PepsiCo and Danone. The FSSC 2200 records all the process of a product from warehousing to releasing with which Dongil Pra Tech makes a difference from its rivals. The company also obtained certificates for risk assessment, technology assessment and clean work place in 2016 followed by ISO 22000, ISO 9001 and US FDA. Currently, Diang is used at a number of globally known companies including Korean Air, KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King from which the company has seen a yearly 50% sales growth. 

“Diang is proved better than paper straw.
It is 100% biodegradable
Within 180 days!”

In order for Diang to be 100% biodegraded, the straw is made of PLA (Poly Lactic Acid extracted from corn starch) and PBAT (Polybutylene Adipate-co-terephthalate: biodegradable high molecules). It has no harmful substances such as endocrine disrupter and heavy metal and can be used for compost after the biodegrade. PLA in particular is being used for tableware for infants for its high safety. Diang feels near PP (Polypropylene) straw, the plastic straw commonly and widely used throughout the world at the moment, except the fact that it is 100% biodegradable. Thanks to this excellence, Diang drew a considerable amount of attention especially from industry in need at the Seoul Café Show 2019 held last month at COEX. Also July this year, the Environment Ministry approved Diang as eco-friendly straw and issued EL724, the environment-friendly mark. 

“It is not whether we use disposables
but
How we use it!”

Dongil Pra Tech recently has relocated the head office and the factory to Jeokseong-myeon in Paju, an environmentally perfect place for manufacturing eco-friendly products. The each of 13 extruders in the factory manufactures average 800,000 biodegradable straws a day that will be used in all over the world.

“It is my goal to grow Diang as the most demanded eco-friendly straw in the world!”