A Taiwanese bubble tea brand, Gong Cha Viet Nam, has announced its plan to replace plastic products with environmentally-friendly materials, in an effort to reduce waste by 60 per cent in the next six months.

From this month, all Gong Cha Vietnam’s stores in Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang City will use straws made from sugarcane dregs.

The other stores nationwide will have no more than six months to replace plastic straws.

The company has also decided to stop importing plastic materials like straws and cup’s seal film.

Non-plastic bags will be provided to customers, the company said.

With this effort, Gong Cha is the first bubble tea brand in Viet Nam to say no to plastic waste.

Nguyen Hoai Phuong, general director of Golden Trust, a company franschiser for Gong Cha in Viet Nam, said: “Along with food hygiene and product quality, we care about environmental protection. We see that reducing plastic waste is not just a trend. It is a responsibility that a company should take.”

Phuong also said it was submitting the plan to Gong Cha global offices.

The Government and organisations in Viet Nam are strongly supporting plastic waste reduction efforts.

Gong Cha Vietnam said their plan to reduce waste would inspire young people who are the company’s key customer segment, to follow the trend.

Gong Cha is a Taiwanese brand that came to Viet Nam in 2014 under the franchise method. The company has nearly 50 stores in the country.

During its time in the country, the company has used advanced technologies and other innovations to reduce plastic waste. — VNS