Photo by Louise Burton on Unsplash
Photo by EcoStraws

Brian O’Callaghan

CEO

Ecostraws

POSITION

CEO

COMPANY

Ecostraws

COUNTRY

Ireland

Website

ecostraws

SCENE

Brian O’Callaghan

SOCIAL

LinkedIn

Twitter

What makes Brian O’Callaghan a Global Shaker?

The founders of EcoStraws says they were brought together while attending a classical music performance focused on protecting the earth by the National Symphony Orchestra. Recognising that the plastic straw has become “a menace to marine-life all over the world,” Sarah Keyes, Anthony Egan and Brian O’Callaghan collectively decided to take action to tackle the damage that humans are causing the planet. 

EcoStraws has made a stock of reusable eco-friendly straws including stainless steel, glass, bamboo and silicon. Their biodegradable EcoStraws are available in Wheat, PLA and Paper and they even produce edible straws sources from 100% natural materials which can either be eaten or composted.

They write that Ireland, where the company is based, uses approximately 1 million plastic straws every day. So they say they wanted to offer people an “eco-friendly, high quality, fun alternative to the plastic drinking tube”, which adds a bit of fun “to a boring lemonade, or doubles as a stirrer in a cocktail.”

The company also strives to produce recyclable packaging and ship items in biodegradable plastic-free parcels.

The company’s major innovation is the edible straw, made from sugar, water, maize starch and gelatin. Their ‘Sorbos Straws’ are able to hold their form for up to 50 minutes and are available in flavours including apple and lime. In addition, they offer a edible pasta straw, which the company says will decompose virtually overnight after being thrown away.

O’Callaghan, the founder and managing director of the company, has spent twenty years as owner of a small hospitality company, and also founded a leading Irish Energy Services Company. Keyes has worked with An Taisce as part of the Green Schools Education Programme, to promote sustainability in schools in Ireland; and Egan — holder of a degree in Environmental Science — has worked for 15 years in the hospitality sector and has spent time monitoring local water bodies.

Tags: Ireland, plastic, plastic pollution, plastic waste

Last updated: July 29, 2019