Once a unique discovery called plastic has grown in popularity among civilized people. Today, the globe suffers from massive plastic waste.
If you are going to buy any food or household product, you probably expect it will be packaged in some kind of plastic packaging, from fruits, vegetables, cheese and pastries to milk, drinks and sweets.
For the sake of environmental protection, countries, nations, and individuals seek to find alternatives to plastic packaging. Currently these are paper packaging made of recycled material and other biodegradable packaging. Packaging-free stores even have appeared on the market.
Eco-Friendly Packaging
Supermarkets in Vietnam were inspired by Thailand, which uses banana leaves instead of plastic packaging.
The Rimping supermarket in Chiangmai, Thailand, has earned recognition on Facebook for coming up with eco-friendly packaging after the local company introduced it on its website.
Big chains of Vietnamese supermarkets, such as Lotte Mart, Saigon Co.op, and Big C, have all started to follow in the Thai store’s footsteps by using eco-friendly banana leaves packaging alternative in their stores as well.
Representative from the Lotte Mart chain says they are in a pilot phase, but very soon they plan to replace plastic sheets throughout the country. Banana leaves are now used for packaging fruits and vegetables. The company plans to use leaves to wrap fresh meat as well.
Customers are excited and applaud. “When I see vegetables wrapped in these beautiful banana leaves I’m more willing to buy in larger quantities,” and a local customer named Hoa was quoted as saying. “I think this initiative will help locals be more aware of protecting the environment.”
Given that Vietnam produces about 2,500 tons of plastic waste per day and is the world’s 4th largest plastic waste deposit in the oceans, efforts to reduce plastic consumption are essential.
Increasing Trend in Asian Countries
- Taiwanese shops charge disposable plastic bags to discourage customers from using them.
- South Korea recently has banned the use of disposable plastic bags and required supermarkets and other commercial facilities to provide customers with recyclable containers.
- China has seen a 66% decline in the use of plastic bags since it imposed a ban on the use of very thin plastic bags.
- Singapore supermarkets are launching campaigns against the use of plastic bags.
- Vietnamese Big C Company offers biodegradable bags made with corn powder in its stores.
- The coffee shop in the Philippines has replaced disposable plastic straws with coconut straws.
- European and American nations could also be inspired by the use of local “green” packaging. Doesn’t it look tastier?
Source: nextshark.com/banana-leaves-asia-plastic-packaging/amp/, facebook.com/perfecthomes
