Hong Kong says good bye to plastic bags
6th July 2009 by Richard Gunawan
After years of debate, the plastic bag levy finally will be introduced to Hong Kong on July 7th, 2009. Consumers will have to fork out HK$0.50 (or US$0.07) per plastic bag. Some consumers and retailers are concerned with the levy, as they will have to pay more.
However, the environmental groups claim that the levy won’t be a financial burden for consumers. Consumers only have to change their habits and remember to bring their own bags to the shop.
As for the retailers, one can argue that the cost of administering the levy will eat up their razor-thin margins. However, environmental groups claim that retailers will save millions of dollars annually from purchasing less plastic bags. This only can be good for profits and will create a positive corporate image.
More than eight billion plastic bags are disposed of annually in Hong Kong, significantly contributing to waste management problems for local authorities. The government claimed that it takes less than two years for the plastic bags to fill up a space equivalent to the size of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a local landmark (see depiction below).
In mainland China, consumers use up to three billion plastic bags a day; the country has to refine five million tonnes (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make the plastics used in packaging, according to information from the China Trade News‘ website. The Chinese government has prohibited the production and use of ultra-thin bags in their supermarkets and shops since June 1, 2008.
To assist pensioners and the poor, the Hong Kong government and local organisations have recently distributed 10,000 canvas bags.
To build up consumer awareness, the environmental protection department also has organised exhibits at local shopping centres. The ‘My Dream Shopping Bag’ design competition is one such initiative targeted at students. Students were encouraged to paint on canvas bags and the winner will be announced in early July.
The environmental minister is confident that local consumptions of bags will be reduced by billions with this plastic bag levy.
Richard Gunawan is Vice President for business and sustainability development for LRQA Asia. He has more than 15 years of commercial experience and is committed to assisting businesses in Asia to mitigate risks and to grow in line with CSR principles.