Greenjoy Straw

We met Nguyen Vo, founder of the start-up Greenjoy Straw.

For the past years, plastic straws have incrementally become the focus of environmental efforts. Though it only represents 0,025 percents of the 8 tons of plastics going into oceans each year (National Geographic), still 8.3 billion straws pollute our beaches — a direct threat to the local ecosystems. Furthermore, straws are an “easy step” toward a greener world, as most people can do without them, or if not, with greener equivalents. As the founder of a start-up selling straws made from Lepironia Articulata, Nguyen Vo is the promoter of such an alternative. This hollow grass has been grown for decades in the Mekong, traditionally to make plaited objects.

“The workers are very interested in producing this grass straw. Women can work from home, which allows them to increase the family income, but also to gather and work together with other women”, Nguyen told us. The straws are grown naturally and are chemicals free — the grass is harvested, cleaned and can be dried or not. They can be preserved from 1 month for the fresh ones to 6 months for the dried ones.

Created last year, her business is on its way to success: she is now working with several resorts and restaurants in all of Vietnam and has potential customers in other countries as well.