by Jung Hwan Kim
GLOBE-Net, February 8, 2012 - According
to South Korean Ministry of Environment (KMOE), five major
supermarket chains (about 800 stores) have suspended the use of
disposable plastic bags as of February 1, 2012.
In Korea there has been a charge for disposable plastic bag in
discount stores and super supermarkets since 1999. Accordingto Act
on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources, every store
has had to sell disposable plastic bags and to return the small
deposit made when consumers returned plastic bags to them.
Last October, the KMOE made a voluntary agreement with super
supermarkets for not using disposable plastic bags altogether.
Participating companies wereLotte Super, Home plus express, GS
Supermarket, Kimsclub and E-mart everyday.
In an attempt to minimize inconvenience to consumers, KMOE and
participating companies have adopted the following measures:
producing and distributing non-plastic shopping bags; expanding
sales of standard plastic garbage bags; and promoting the use of
recycled paper bags.
KMOE expects to see a reduction in wastes equivalent to 66
million sheets of disposable plastic bags, saving costs of KRW 3.3
billion (about USD 3 million) and reducing 2,381 tonnes of carbon
dioxide emissions each year.
Large-scale discount stores -E-mart, Lotte Mart, Home Plus,
Hanaro Mart and Mega Mart, ceased selling disposable plastic bags
since October 1, 2010.
According to the report by Korea Zero Waste Movement Network
(KZWMN), 55.1 percent of large-scale discount store consumers now
use their own bags or boxes, while others use standard plastic
garbage bag offered by cashiers.
In 2011, KZWMN carried out market research from August to
September at 66 participating stores to measure consumer behavioral
changes following the adoption of this new policy.
They reported that more than half (55.1 percent) of consumers
monitored subjects brought their own bags to the store, used
cardboard boxes, or moved groceries from the carts to their cars
directly or into bags in their cars.
When the marketing departments of three companies at 81
locations (E-Mart, Lotte Mart and Home Plus) were surveyed in early
2011, the number of tote bag and cardboard box users was only 34
percent.
KZWMN said that this program could not have succeeded without
the companies' determination, the consumers' awareness and the
government's strategic approach. They also anticipated that this
could be one of the most successful stories of the national waste
reduction policy.
Jung Hwan Kim is an exchange officer from the Korean
Ministry of the Environment working at the GLOBE Foundation of
Canada.
Product
Stewardship and Innovative Packaging: Striving for Zero
Waste
Product stewardshipprograms such as Extended Producer
Responsibility (EPR) are encouraging organizations to be
increasingly accountable for products at the end of their lifecycle
in order to minimize waste and reduce toxins entering into the
environment. What is the role for the retail sector in this more
holistic approach? How are these companies striving to minimize
waste? A GLOBE 2012, taking place on March
14-16, 2012, retail experts will discuss how leading
organizations are addressing environmental concerns through
innovative packaging and stewardship practices that are designed to
cut costs and reduce waste.
Confirmed Participants:
Eric Olson, Senior Vice President,
Advisory Services, BSR, USA (Moderator)
Elisabeth Comere, Director,
Environment & Government Affairs, Tetra Pak Inc., USA
Heidi Sanborn, Executive Director,
California Product Stewardship Council, USA
Amy Skoczlas-Cole, Director, eBay
Green & Sustainability, eBay Inc., USA
Charlene Wall-Warren, Sustainability
Leader, BASF North America, USA
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