This promotional image of a zero waste campaign, captured from the Instagram account of @klarblau_daily, calls on participants to return plastic lids of canned ham products to the manufacturer, to press for the elimination of the unessential packaging.
SEOUL, Nov. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent trend has prompted a growing number of consumers to send secondary disposable products that come attached to a primary product back to the manufacturer.
These disposable items include plastic straws attached to milk packs, plastic covers, and packages of lactic acid bacteria wrapped with multiple plastic bags.
The trend began after the Seoul Metropolitan Government, with an aim to create a sustainable city, started a movement to encourage the return of plastic items early this month, bringing around 100 people to participate.
The initiative comes after a surge in the annual amount of plastic use as the coronavirus has led to a massive boost in demand for delivery and lenient restrictions on the use of disposable products.
“Returning disposable products to the manufacturer is my way of telling them not to include them in my next purchase,” said Shin, a local homemaker participating in the public movement.
“I believe that businesses should be responsible not just for selling products, but processing the waste.”
The movement is gaining increasing support as more consumers are calling on businesses to focus on environmental and social welfare as well as corporate governance following the coronavirus outbreak.
The Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) conducted a survey of 303 consumers, 98.3 percent of whom were interested in sustainable practices for packaging food products.
More than two thirds pointed to environmental protection as the primary reason.
“Just like McDonald’s Korea’s put a stop to the use of plastic straws, voices from each and every consumer can encourage businesses to take a more eco-friendly approach,” said Prof. Seo Yong-koo from Sookmyung Women’s University.
“In addition to the quality and price of the product, environmental awareness among businesses will become a new factor that will significantly impact customer purchases.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
