Saigon Co.op to stop selling plastic straws

Wednesday, Apr 10, 2019 19:02

Customers buy paper straws at Co.opmart Cong Quynh supermarket in HCM City. Saigon Co.op retail systems will not sell plastic straws from May as part of efforts to safeguard the environment. — VNS Photo

Saigon Co.op’s retail systems, Co.opmart, Co.opXtra, Co.op Food, Co.op Smiles, and Cheers, will stop selling plastic straws from May.

A spokesperson for Saigon Co.op said they would instead sell environmentally friendly paper and rice straws besides reusable straws made from steel and glass.

Saigon Co.op would not only completely remove plastic straws from its stores’ shelves but also from its private label products and at the same time call on retailers inside its stores to minimise their use, he said.

Nguyen Anh Duc, permanent deputy general director of Saigon Co.op, said: “Over the past 10 years, Saigon Co.op has launched a roadmap to gradually minimise the trading of products that are not good for the environment.

“For instance, Saigon Co.op was the first retailer in Viet Nam to replace plastic bags with eco-friendly bio-degradable plastic bags in 2011.

“It is the right time to say no to plastic straws. Saigon Co.op has prepared suitably to replace plastic straws, so the replacement will not affect consumers but can contribute to protecting the environment.”

Statistics from the American Marine Research Association showed that last year, 8.3 billion plastic straws polluted the world's beaches.

Some American states will ban the use of plastic straws from 2020 while many countries have strict regulations for plastic straws. The UK bans their use at coffee shops while South Korea plans a complete ban from 2027. — VNS

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