Central Retail aims to become first plastic bag-free chain

[snoop1130]

Central Retail aims to become first plastic bag-free chain

By The Nation

 

 

Central Retail, led by Central Department Store together with Central Group’s retail businesses, has launched their “Central Love the Earth ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’” campaign.

 

Through this campaign, it aims to become Thailand’s first plastic bag-free retailer within by the end of 2019, in order to improve the environment while also expressing its social responsibility in line with the government’s agenda.

 

Customers are encouraged to decline plastic bags and instead bring their own bags to earn up to 40 The 1 points. The campaign will run from June 5 onward, with an aim to reduce 150 million plastic bags during 2019.

 

Nicolo Galante, president of Central Retail Corporation, said, “Plastic waste is a global issue which needs to be addressed immediately. Thailand is the world’s sixth biggest contributor of ocean waste, generating almost 2 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, or 200 billion plastic bags.”

 

Central Retail announced in a press release on Tuesday that they will take environmental conservation seriously and act proactively.

 

To that end, they have launched the “Central Love the Earth ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’” campaign, their largest campaign of the year, joined by Central Group’s retail businesses. Led by Central Department Store the firm announced their commitment to be the first plastic-bag free retailer in Thailand, with the launch on World Environment Day, June 5.

 

The campaign will cover all Central Department Stores, Zen Department Store, Robinson Department Stores, Supersports, B2S, OfficeMate, CMG stores, Power Buy, Thai Watsadu, Baan & Beyond, and Auto 1.

 

“Customers who say no to plastic bags at participating stores will receive 10 The 1 points as an appreciation for their environmental responsibility,” said Galante.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Corporate/30370127

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-28

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[baansgr]

Great move and hope it succeeds but im dumping my shares in the company as profits will dive. Just look at Lotus on first Tuesday of every month which is bag free...its deserted

[ratcatcher]

A very noble goal, however there's no mention of TOPS  they seem to be able to move thousands of plastic bags in a day. The next time I go there, I shall have my own large bag with me (no, not my wife!) and see if security says anything.

http://www.centralgroup.com/group-business/central-food-retail-group/

 

[ZeVonderBearz]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

"Central Love the Earth ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’”

All them white faces and all the money they have yet they cannot be bothered to get someone in to check their English. 

[connda]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Central Retail aims to become first plastic bag-free chain

Bunk.  Why?  
 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Customers are encouraged to decline plastic bags and instead bring their own bags to earn up to 40 The 1 points.

Plastic bags are still being used in the store.  Want to be the 'first plastic bag-free chain?  Then stop buying plastic bags from the Petro-Chemical plastic manufacturers and providing them to customers.  Anything less is hypocrisy.  

[DrTuner]

If I remember correctly, after purchasing something like 200k baht of goods wife got enough points in the 1 card to get a 100b discount. Whoopie. 40 points will probably get you 0.00001 baht?

[canopy]

42 minutes ago, connda said:

Then stop buying plastic bags from the Petro-Chemical plastic manufacturers and providing them to customers.  Anything less is hypocrisy.  

Well said. The headline reads like they are getting rid of plastic bags. Reading the article they aren't. Encouraging customers to say no is hardly a program to get excited about.

[ripstanley]

I have lived full time in Thailand for 8.5 years. In that time I have never been offered a plastic bag from Mako.

 

I would think that the head line is not true.

 

Is this fake news?

[Wilsonandson]

1 hour ago, ripstanley said:

I have lived full time in Thailand for 8.5 years. In that time I have never been offered a plastic bag from Mako.

 

I would think that the head line is not true.

 

Is this fake news?

It certainly is fake news. Just look at this thread from 2013 on ThaiVisa Forum.

 

 

[jingjai9]

It is not only the use of plastics bags, it is the amount used per customer. I know at Tesco they often put one item in a plastic bag. More often than not it is simply wasteful. For example, many items such as toilet paper and pet foods are put in a plastic bag unecessarily. This adds up and increases the number of plastic bags used exponentially. Next time you check out a weekly grocery purchase at a supermarket, count the bags.

[metisdead]

Some troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[AhFarangJa]

Why is there not more emphasis on producing bags from Cassava plants, and other similar plants. Then just phase out plastic bags altogether. 

[djayz]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Customers are encouraged to decline plastic bags

Then stop handing them out! Problem solved. 

I'd LOVE to see the reaction of (Thai) customers if this country introduced a fee/tax/charge for every plastic bag used, as is the case in lots of countries around the world. For as long as they're free, not too many people will be motivated to change their habits. That's all it is really, just get into the habit of taking a reusable bag with you to the store. 

 

[ThaiBunny]

2 minutes ago, djayz said:

For as long as they're free, not too many people will be motivated to change their habits.

My personal preference is for 7-11 to stop handing out plastic straws automatically with every drink. Every time I buy milk - a couple of times a week and always from the shop across the road - I have to insist "no straw"

[djayz]

1 minute ago, ThaiBunny said:

My personal preference is for 7-11 to stop handing out plastic straws automatically with every drink. Every time I buy milk - a couple of times a week and always from the shop across the road - I have to insist "no straw"

The straw AND the unnecessary plastic wrapping. 

[luk AJ]

All the plastic bags I get in Villa Market I use later as garbage bag. If plastic bags are not available anymore, I will have to buy the thicker black garbage bags. This results in more use of plastic, not less!


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[james.d]

12 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Why is there not more emphasis on producing bags from Cassava plants, and other similar plants. Then just phase out plastic bags altogether. 

Exactly, l was working in Bangladesh about 12yrs ago,  the supermarket provided cassava or similar bags free for my shopping trips.

[Beggar]

Perhaps this country needs better recycle concepts. If you put all the garbage into one bin it will be hard to separate different types of garbage afterwards. 

[nervona81732]

Hemp is the cure for the petro-chem ( plastic bag ) pollution problem. Years ago a hemp derived product was created to replace petro-chem plastics ( bags ). they are as strong as pertro chem plastic but bio degrade after use and dissolve back into the environment with 0 impact. 

I don't see what the problem is other than folks have their head up their arse. Should be a no brainer. But after being on TVF for years and seeing the mind set of falangs here about hemp , it doesn't surprise me of the ignorance that abounds due to the reefer madness propaganda for years. Some folks need to retire their opinions. Folks have been living in the false beleifx that their handlers who OWN this planet, spew.

 

[donnacha]

I use my excess plastic bags to catch any cockroaches or geckos that stray into my building.

I'll be screwed if 7-Eleven stops giving me a load of them with each purchase!

[bluesofa]

2 minutes ago, donnacha said:

I use my excess plastic bags to catch any cockroaches or geckos that stray into my building.

I'll be screwed if 7-Eleven stops giving me a load of them with each purchase!

You'll have enlighten me on this!

How exactly does this work - how do you get them into the bag?

[toenail]

(Another Central PR hype campaign?) - There are all kinds of bio-degradable “bags” out there such as ones made out of hemp, corn stalks, recycled paper products. But stores do not want to purchase these bags since they’te more expensive. I would rather pay an extra 5 cents that’s included with my total purchase than be using a plastic bag. Also, charge extra for giving the customer a bag for carrying his/ her items. This will encourage customers to bring their own bag. ( It works in Hong Kong)

[donnacha]

23 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

You'll have enlighten me on this!

How exactly does this work - how do you get them into the bag?

Stick your hand into the bag and use it as a glove to grab the critter. Cockroaches and young geckos are easy, older geckos are far trickier to catch.

You will feel it struggle, which is icky, but you just have to ignore that.

Maintaining your fist around your captive, pull the bag inside-out and quickly tie it. Your captive will be trapped inside.

If you have not gripped it too hard, it will still be alive. If it is a gecko, and your Thai girlfriend or wife is around, she will probably prefer you to release it outside. She probably won't mind you killing a cockroach, but don't do it in front of her.

If you have accidentally killed a gecko, just dump the body down a drain outside and tell your girl that it was fine - good relationships are built upon lies and a house free from gecko poop.

If the gecko is alive but badly injured, kill it humanely. Don't release a crippled gecko to be ripped apart by other animals.

To kill your captive, place the tied up bag on the floor and place your foot above the corner into which he has crawled. Step down firmly to make it a quick death.

If it is a cockroach, make sure that air is not trapped in the bag, like a balloon; you do not want an explosive bang when you step down, you want the bag to remain intact so that the cockroach does not get splattered on your floor. My understanding is that stepping on a cockroach sometimes disperses eggs and you end up with a bigger problem ????

If Central and all these eco-lunatics get their way, we face a future overrun with geckos and cockroaches. Resist!

 

Edited May 29, 2019 by donnacha

[Dexlowe]

Looking at the photo, before I've even read the story, my first thought is that this smacks of, even screams, insincerity. 

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

“Customers who say no to plastic bags at participating stores will receive 10 The 1 points as an appreciation for their environmental responsibility,” said Galante.

So customers who decline plastic bags get a points reward.. but the lazy Thai who doesn't give a rats arse about the environment will be given one as usual?

Why not just give a date when plastic bags will not be available & customers must provide their own!

[bluesofa]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Through this campaign, it aims to become Thailand’s first plastic bag-free retailer within by the end of 2019, in order to improve the environment while also expressing its social responsibility in line with the government’s agenda.

Customers are encouraged to decline plastic bags and instead bring their own bags

To my cynical mind, and through experience of companies here not saying what they really mean, my highlighting of the text above seems to support that:

'aims to become' (not 'will') and 'encouraged to decline plastic bags (not told that 'they soon won't be available').

[LennyW]

Quote

Nicolo Galante, president of Central Retail Corporation, said, “Plastic waste is a global issue which needs to be addressed immediately. Thailand is the world’s sixth biggest contributor of ocean waste, generating almost 2 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, or 200 billion plastic bags.”

So is this an admission that Thailand dumps plastic waste in the ocean??

[LennyW]

Another problem is trying to source paper bags, prices are astronomical...for now at least!

[nausea]

Well, as mentioned above, Makro already does this, and I mean really does it - you bring your own bag or you buy one at the check-out, so no way would Central Retail be the first, even if it wasn't some half-arsed PR stunt. This plastic bag mania needs to change, the weekly amount of plastic waste I alone generated, before I started carrying a cloth bag stuffed in the back pocket of my jeans, was staggering.

[Burma Bill]

Quote;- "bring their own bags"

 

It would not do Central's image much good if many customers start walking around its stores carrying re-used plastic bags displaying Tesco Lotus or Big C - "loss of face"!