INTERNATIONAL fast food giant McDonald's has picked an Ebbw Vale company to make its new paper straws.

In the midst of a widespread campaign to cut the use of plastic, prompted by an episode of the BBC's Blue Planet II series which highlighted the impact of plastic on the world's oceans, McDonald's has announced it will introduce paper straws at all its 1,361 restaurants in the UK and Ireland from September.

And Transcend Packaging, which is based at the Rassau Industrial Estate in Ebbw Vale, is one of two companies which will produce the new straws.

The company, which was only set up last year with help from the Welsh Government, will begin production this summer.

Managing director Lorenzo Angelucci said: “We greatly appreciate the support and encouragement of the Welsh Government and we look forward to providing world-class packaging solutions and further jobs in Wales for many years to come.

"I am delighted that McDonald’s has taken this visionary step towards reducing the environmental impact of the food industry.

"Spurred on by Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet series we hope that Transcend’s new range of environmentally friendly products will be part of the solution for a greener world.”

And a statement by the company said: "Transcend is proud to be a British company providing UK based production capability for sustainable packaging products and privileged to be a part of the long heritage of the Welsh packaging and printing industry."

Economy and transport secretary Ken Skates welcomed the news, saying on Twitter: "Excellent news, both for the environment and for #EbbwVale based supplier, Transcend Packaging".

Finland-based Huhtamaki will also produce the straws from a factory in Belfast.

Chief executive of McDonald's UK and Ireland Paul Pomroy said: "Reflecting the broader public debate, our customers told us they wanted to see a move on straws but to do so without compromising their overall experience when visiting our restaurants.

"Over the past few months we've been working closely with supplier partners to find a solution that works both for our customers, and that the supply is there given the size of our business.

"The government's ambitious plans, combined with strong customer opinion, has helped to accelerate the move away from plastic and I'm proud that we've been able to play our part in helping to achieve this societal change."

And the company's executive vice president for global supply chain and sustainability Francesca DeBiase said: "McDonald's is committed to using our scale for good and working to find sustainable solutions for plastic straws globally.

"In addition to the exciting news from the UK today, we are testing straw alternatives in other countries to provide the best experience for our customers."

UK environment secretary Michael Gove has also supported the news, saying it would make a "significant contribution" to helping the environment.

"We all have a responsibility to our environment and this simple yet effective initiative is a fine example to other large businesses," he said.