June 4, 2008

China Makes Good on Ban of Free Plastic Bags

by Sean Leow (PSFK Shanghai)

We previously reported on the Chinese governments’ intentions to ban super thin plastic bags and charge for plastic carrier bags starting June 1st. On our recent trip to the local mini-mart, we were happy to see the plan in action. At this particular store in Shanghai, the charge is 0.20 RMB ($0.03) per plastic bag and pricing is reportedly 0.10 to 0.50 RMB per bag. Below the pricing, the announcement reads “Support Environmental Protection, Thank You for Your Understanding and Support!”

To gauge how the ban will affect consumption patterns, below are the results of a poll of 110,000+ people on Sina:

How large is the impact of the ban on free plastic bags on your shopping habits?

1) Relatively Large Influence: 59%
2) No Influence: 37%
3) Unclear: 5%

Because of the ban, how will you change your shopping habits?

1) Will use cloth bags: 52%
2) Unclear: 26%
3) Continue using plastic bags: 23%

Article categories: Environmental, Ethical Consumerism, Trends In Asia

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3 Responses to “China Makes Good on Ban of Free Plastic Bags”

  1. Paul
    Posted from: 75.58.235.102

    June 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    Thanks for the update. Any idea if this has been instituted nation-wide?

  2. Sean Leow (PSFK Shanghai)
    Posted from: 116.232.106.70

    June 9th, 2008 at 12:09 am

    The same ban was in place in Nanjing when I visited yesterday and according to the law it is nationwide.

  3. Sean Leow (PSFK Shanghai)
    Posted from: 116.232.103.153

    June 12th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    To update this story, I asked the manager of my local mini-mart how the plastic ban has affected consumers in the first ten days. The manager said that before the ban, they used to go through 400-500 bags a day. Now, after the ban, they only give out (sell) 40-50 plastic bags a day. A 10x decrease in plastic bag use !!!

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