For every “I am Not a Plastic Bag” faux-designer bag we see sold in places like the Silk Market in Beijing or Qipu Lu in Shanghai, it is estimated that China uses somewhere between one and three billion actual plastic bags each day.

And with China’s impending plastic bag ban on June 1st, many are wondering if the country will really be able to cut back usage at all, much less by the two-thirds reduction the government is hoping for.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in the last few years, China has also banned plastic packing materials, disposable wooden chopsticks, plastic lunch trays and throwaway cosmetic items commonly distributed in hotel rooms. All of these bans quietly went away fairly quickly, and many believe the same will happen in this giant “publicity stunt.”

While the production of the thinnest bags (such as those you might get with a steamed dumpling in the morning), are banned outright, thicker bags are still allowed if the merchant charges for them.

According to the People’s Daily, large retailers have already announced their bag prices, ranging from .2 yuan to 2 yuan each. Some smaller businesses are already choosing to ignore the ban.

“I will still provide my customers free plastic bags in order to maintain my business,” a grocery store owner surnamed Dong reportedly said.

Like everything China-law related, the effect of the ban will come down to enforcement. With tens of millions of small merchants making uniform enforcement nearly impossible, just like with the new China labor law, larger foreign firms could be facing the brunt of the spotlight, as media will certainly be tracking their every move.

However, with environmental awareness on the rise in China, foreign firms may find themselves in a position to leverage the spotlight, and lead the way environmentally all the while currying favor with their customers and even employees.

One Shanghai “green” consulting company, Greenovate, is using its design-inspired, highly compactible (on to a keyring) reusable bag dubbed ‘Reuse.bag’ to generate funds for its non-profit venture that teaches kids across China about environmentalism. The venture, Greenovate Environmental Challenge for Kids Outreach (GECKO), has been buoyed by the fashionable bag sales and received increased press due in part to the plastic ban.

Greenovate’s reusable bags, recently featured at an eco-fair at China’s first carbon-neutral hotel, Urbn, also in Shanghai, as well as in other locales, has undoubtedly helped raised the profile of the consulting company and its services.

Being able to find the silver lining in the storm clouds of China business is what being successful here is all about.

-More information about where to find the Reuse.bag, and about GECKO can be found here.

    Channel: Vital News     |