bye, free plastic bags

 

The general office of the state council recently issued a notice, saying that shopping bags have become the main source of "white pollution", requiring that the production, sale and use of plastic shopping bags (referred to as ultra-thin plastic shopping bags) should be banned nationwide from June 1, 2008. At the same time, in all supermarkets, shopping malls, markets and other commodity retail places to implement the plastic shopping bag paid use system, all must not provide free plastic shopping bag. The "ban" on ultra-thin plastic bags and the end of the "free lunch" of plastic bags will be on People's Daily life and consumption habits, in the implementation of what will encounter practical difficulties and challenges, the reporter interviewed about the experts.

 

Use price leverage to adjust spending habits

 

The statistics of China chain operation association in 2007 showed that China's supermarket industry used about 50 billion plastic bags in the whole year, and the average consumption of plastic bags by supermarket enterprises was 0.2% of the sales volume. The consumption of plastic bags has reached 1.6 billion yuan by the sales volume of supermarket member enterprises 800 billion yuan.

"At present, the heavy use of plastic bags has caused great environmental pollution and waste of resources, and reducing the use of plastic bags has important social and economic benefits. In addition to environmental protection, it can also save energy consumption and create a resource-saving society. It is also an important means for enterprises to exploit potential and increase efficiency. China chain operation association President guo geping said.

"Although plastic bags are small, the significance of this regulation is not small." State environmental protection administration ZhengYan Ren Yong deputy director of the center points out, there are a lot of production, consumption, abandon the way of life a lot of pressure to the environment of plastic bags, the rules are very timely, applies a system of paid use of plastic shopping bags, is by the market and economic means of adjusting people's habits and customs, changing People's Daily life behavior. The government has started to control "white pollution" from the necessity of daily life, which means that China's environmental protection policy is increasingly integrated into economic life and People's Daily life, reflecting the expansion of environmental protection policy in the consumption field.

Qi jianguo, deputy director of the institute of quantitative economics at the Chinese academy of social sciences, pointed out that the country's "plastic limit order" is a system change caused by people's bad consumption habits. Only by systematically "banning" ultra-thin plastic bags can we curb people's bad consumption behavior at the source.

 

How to harmonize convenience and environmental protection

 

Supermarkets and shopping malls provide free plastic bags for consumers at the original intention, but in the actual use process, such "free lunch" has caused the abuse of plastic bags. After the implementation of the new regulations, how to let consumers enjoy convenience while doing their part for environmental protection? Experts point out that the coordination of the two needs the efforts of merchants, consumers and manufacturers.

Guo geping, President of China chain operation association, believes that, first of all, what lies in front of merchants is to solve the problem of convenience for consumers. After reducing the use of plastic bags, enterprises should, together with relevant manufacturers, actively develop substitutes for plastic shopping bags, such as reusable cloth bags, small convenient shopping carts and other forms of products. At the same time, in the process of developing these products, the difference between food and supplies and raw food should be taken into account when bagging, so as to better meet the needs of consumers and achieve practicality and convenience.

Second, supermarkets should adjust the checkout process. For example, a store where customers bring their own shopping carts; Add shopping cart rental service; Set up the sorting table, so that customers can pack their own bags. For the customers who use the charging plastic bags, the price should be clearly stated, and the charging process should be established. Considering the characteristics of low individual value of plastic bags and no barcode, proper adjustment should be made to the checkout process and system to prepare more credits so as to ensure the speed and convenience for consumers.

Third, actively carry out the publicity to consumers education. With the advantage of close connection with consumers, enterprises should publicize the meaning of reducing the use of plastic bags through in-store advertising, DM advertising and other forms, explain to consumers in advance and avoid ambiguity and disputes in the implementation process. Through extensive publicity, we advocate consumers to bring their own shopping bags, establish the awareness of environmental protection, and form a social atmosphere that takes pride in using environmental protection bags.

 

Effective implementation needs to break through three barriers

 

In the interview, experts pointed out that the regulations that ban the use of ultra-thin plastic bags and the paid use of plastic bags will encounter many difficulties and challenges in reality. Ren believes the effectiveness of the new policy will face three obstacles.

One is actual demand. In the process of store shopping, if people really need ultra-thin plastic bags and there is no corresponding substitute in a short time, it is difficult to ban them completely. Buying cooked food, for example, makes it difficult to require people to bring their own containers, so it may be difficult from a demand perspective.

Second, price setting. Experts believe that the price level of plastic bags will have a great impact on people's behavioral orientation. To establish an appropriate and effective price system requires a relatively complex technical process, such as setting prices according to different types, USES and regions. There are view, paid for the use of plastic bags after plastic bags pricing should be "above" cost price, to this, Ren Yong think plastic bags not only has the production cost, cost and impact on the environment and governance, from a cost point of view may not reach the expected effect, rather than according to the consumer psychology to bear ability to set up the reasonable price system.

Third, supervision. Experts believe that simply reducing the use of plastic bags is not enough, and recycling is also a very important link. Facing the consumption group of 1.3 billion people, the supervision should not only focus on consumers, but also shift the focus to shopping malls. At the same time, the recycling of plastic bags should be strengthened to form an industrialized recycling system.

Qi pointed out that the country's ban on ultra-thin plastic bags also needs to see the policy strength and enforcement. In this process, it is very important to cultivate people's consumption habits, develop a good consumption culture, and improve people's consciousness of saving the use of plastic bags.

"Fundamentally, this regulation means more than just controlling 'white pollution' itself. When people discuss the use of plastic bags together, the concept of environmental protection is going deep into people's hearts unconsciously. Ren Yong said.