Tesco Lotus dumps polystyrene in bid to tackle waste crisis

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

Tesco Lotus has announced it will completelt stop the use of polystyrene foam food containers in its operations from July 1.

 

The retailer said it will also adopt a collaborative approach to launch several other initiatives on the occasion of World Environment Day 2019 on June 5 to tackle Thailand’s waste crisis stemming from improper management of single-use packaging and food containers.

 

Salinla Seehaphan, corporate affairs director, Tesco Lotus, said: “As a retailer that operates a network of more than 2,000 stores in Thailand, we realise the contributions we can make to help alleviate waste problems and their impact on the environment.

 

As a result, we will stop the use of polystyrene foam food containers in all of our stores from July 1, 2019. We have begun the transition and will be 100 per cent foam free by that time. In place of foam trays and containers, we will switch to plastic containers which are 100 per cent recyclable.

 

“In addition to the removal of polystyrene foam trays, Tesco Lotus will continue to make progress in our commitment to reduce the environmental impact from packaging used in our business operations with an aim to create a closed loop packaging system.” 

 

She said that on the occasion of World Environment Day 2019, the retailer will also launch other key initiatives “by collaborating with all sectors in order to create a higher impact and sustainable change”. She said the initiatives will cover the whole value chain of packaging from design, produce, use, recover and recycle.

 

She said the high impact and sustainable solutions to waste problems must come from collaboration of all parties involved.

 

“Tesco Lotus would like to call on the government, industry leaders, as well as the general public, to work together to design, produce, use, recover, and recycle single-use packaging more efficiently.

 

Tesco Lotus will continue our efforts to simplify materials and design, increase recovery and recycling, and make it easier for customers to do more,” she said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30370326

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-31

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This is good to see a company taking action over packaging.

We need,  way more done by the companies.  

But good job.  well done 

A step in the right direction.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 20197 yr by stanleycoin

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

This is good news.

Plastics have been around for about 100 years which is nothing in comparison to the timeline of human history. But this is a total disaster. Even more so in countries that cannot manage their own garbage. 

 

 

Edited May 31, 20197 yr by Peterbkk99

"...switch to plastic containers which are 100 per cent recyclable...the general public...work together to design, produce, use, recover, and recycle single-use packaging more efficiently."

 

Sounds good in theory. Good luck in training the public to drop their discarded containers in the proper bins. I doubt they will hire enough people to recover the containers tossed away by consumers who have been conditioned to discard whatever they have no further need for, by tossing them wherever is the most convenient. 

Nothing can be recycled if it is not first collected.

Edited May 31, 20197 yr by jaltsc

Where did they dump it ? Did someone report them ? What is the police doing !?

Oh sorry, wrong topic.

 

Good to see more of those initiative, but I am not sure how big the impact is for replacing polystyrene with plastic.

Switching from one kind of plastic to another is not an ideal solution. Noteworthy, but nothing to write home about.

 

2 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

Please dont bring up Tapioca based polymer 100% recyclable containers or bags......There cant be a good crisis if you bring this up.....

 

The west also does not want to hear about Tapioca based polymer bags...

 

They want you lugging around cloth bags....Cloth bags are the correct narrative here...

Never mind they get dirty and gross over time....

Good move, but the plastic needs to go completely 

3 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

Good question !

 

1 hour ago, fforest1 said:

Please dont bring up Tapioca based polymer 100% recyclable containers or bags......There cant be a good crisis if you bring this up.....

 

The west also does not want to hear about Tapioca based polymer bags...

 

They want you lugging around cloth bags....Cloth bags are the correct narrative here...

Never mind they get dirty and gross over time....

They are washable aren't they?

Non recyclable polystyrene being replaced with recyclable plastic sounds good buy given a  very small percentage of all recyclable plastics  ever actually DO get recycled it is a token effort.

A big part of the issue with the use of plastics is that retailers and/or their  marketing advisors introduced what has now become  an expectation  of consumers.

I have often been bemused at the sight of a single  bell pepper firmly embedded on a polystyrene tray by means of cling film on the shelves at  none other than small Tesco Lotus stores. Is there any genuine  justification for that really?

 

The best step would be to educate people from an early age and provide adequate rubbish bins everywhere. Token features like this wont make a difference. Take a look anywhere in Thailand at the vast amounts of rubbish strewn on beaches, roadsides and even their own properties of those in the boonies. Kudos to Tesco but lots more required

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

Maybe they where used as a cure for Ebola and AIDS instead...but probably disintegrated before arriving.

4 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

 

You don't understand the rules of corporate PR - all promises and projects are re-set every year, you're not supposed to remember ones from the past. 

"Look at me, free advertising". 

 

Anybody believes they actually care needs their head examined. 

18 hours ago, Dellboy218 said:

Whatever happened to the Tapioca based polymer Thailand invented to replace plastic bags that Tesco took back to the UK for testing?

Forests are being cut down to produce cassava plants, the roots of these plants are used to make tapioca!

Solve one problem create another.

14 hours ago, Kinnock said:

 

You don't understand the rules of corporate PR - all promises and projects are re-set every year, you're not supposed to remember ones from the past. 

Yes I remember CP 7/11 gave similar lip service recently. Funny how that works. 

And if the likes of Macro etc also stop selling them in their millions  then that also would be a move in the right direction - but will they  ?