Eco-friendly? Don Don Donki's move to stop selling plastic bags from October raises concerns from the public

Is this a good move for the environment, or 'greenwashing'?

Japanese discount store chain Don Don Donki will no longer sell plastic bags in Singapore from Oct 1, a Reddit user noticed on Monday (Sept 9).

The post by u/PhotographOld5934 shows a poster at an unnamed outlet stating they are doing so "as part of [their] commitment to sustainability" and that they encourage customers to use a reusable bag "to help support a greener future".

Don Don Donki started charging 10 cents per plastic bag from November 2021, in conjunction with the National Environment Agency's Say YES to Waste Less (SYTWL) campaign. Since July 2023, all major supermarket chains have charged five cents per plastic bag as part of the Resource Sustainability Act.

However, some netizens on Reddit were not on board with this latest move, lamenting in a post on Monday (Sept 9), which has garnered more than 300 comments.

"Donki's ready-to-eat food packaging tends to leak," one Redditor noted. "Many times I've had to wash my reusable bag after buying their food, which means I can't reuse it while it's drying."

Another Redditor questioned whether it would affect the chain's profits, writing: "Donki's customers mostly make unplanned visits, walk past, 'Eh, Donki', go in, walk one round and buy stuff.

"If they stop selling plastic bags, I don't think this category of customers will appreciate this move actually."

Is it sustainable?

Some Redditors questioned the point of banning plastic bags, when households in Singapore still use them to throw their trash and would end up buying plastic bin liners instead.

"You buy, but you only buy what you need," another countered. "In all, this still reduces plastic bag usage. The policy isn't aimed at eliminating plastic bag use, but shifting consumer behaviour."

Most of the criticism came from users questioning if it would be sustainable overall.

"Don't sell plastic bags at all, end up selling redundant shopping bags for impromptu purchases that are more expensive and use up more resources," one Redditor commented, with another replying that it was "greenwashing at its best".

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Noting that much of the packaging in Don Don Donki was plastic, including for produce, one Redditor called it "shifting the blame and the work on the customer and the working public".

AsiaOne has contacted Don Don Donki for comment.

No more plastic bag sales at Donki from 1 Oct 2024
byu/PhotographOld5934 insingapore

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drimac@asiaone.com

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