Noodles & Company, the national fast-casual brand serving globally-inspired noodle dishes made fresh to order, announced today that it has partnered with Hoffmaster Group Inc., parent company of Aardvark, to replace plastic straws with paper straws in all its restaurants across the country by the end of March 2022.
Mission-Driven Partnership
“In the same way that we care about and nourish our team members, guests, and communities, we believe we have a responsibility to support our planet and contribute to making the future brighter for generations to come,” said Stacey Pool, chief marketing officer at Noodles & Company. “This transition allows us to move one step closer towards our commitment to creating a better world.”
“Hoffmaster is proud to partner with Noodles & Co. to help them achieve their sustainability goals,” says Hoffmaster President Andy Romjue. “By switching from plastic straws to Aardvark Paper Straws, Noodles is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and helping address our planet’s single-use plastic problem.”
Eliminating Plastic Nationwide
Noodles’ new paper straws, supplied by Aardvark, are durable and can last over three hours without deteriorating in soft drinks or water. The straws are certified BPI compostable, FDA approved, naturally degradable, and made in the U.S. Noodles & Company plans to fully transition paper straws into all its locations by March 2022. This change will remove nearly 21,000 pounds of plastic from the Company’s waste stream annually.
Sustainable Future
This announcement comes on the heels of Noodles’ first-ever impact report, which was released in October 2021. The report outlined key initiatives Noodles has taken in the areas of food, people, planet, and community to make the world a better place, one bowl of noodles at a time. The rollout of Noodles’ new paper straws builds upon its promise to continue making impactful changes across its operation, focusing efforts towards creating a better world.