China's shops hand out 50 billion plastic carrier bags to
customers each year, according to a report by the China Chain Store
and Franchise Association (CCFA).
The report on issues of energy conservation in chain stores was
based on a three-month survey into the country's 30 high-profile
retail chain stores and franchises, according to CCFA.
An official with the CCFA, surnamed Lu, said the number of
carrier bags handed out would rise with the expansion of the retail
sector if no effective measures were taken to curb their use.
Yang Qingsong, vice director of the CCFA's information
department, said the CCFA found a large supermarket, with a
business operation area of 8,000 square meters or more, spent
400,000 yuan a year, or 0.5 percent of its yearly turnover, on
providing customers packing bags.
Chronic pollution caused by plastic packing bags has become an
international headache, especially in China, said the report.
The report encouraged customers to bring their own bags and
stores to provide recyclable or reusable bags or to charge for
plastic bags.
Currently, most Chinese stores provide free bags for
customers.
Yang said a few chain stores in cities of Beijing and Shanghai
charged for bags, so as to encourage customers to bring their
own.
Some chain stores posted signs on their premises suggesting
customers should bring their own bags.
But more efforts were needed to raise public awareness of energy
conservation in shopping, he said.
Some experts suggested that government could offer tax rebates
to stores that provided recyclable or reusable bags.
The report said if the whole retail industry could reduce the
use of one plastic bag for each 100 yuan of sales, their use could
be reduced by 10 billion a year.
The report also said the large supermarket with a business
operation area of 8,000 square meters or more racked up an
electricity bill of 1.3 to 1.5 million yuan a year.
The report suggested that supermarkets should switch to
electricity-saving lamps to reduce electricity costs. It cited the
case of the Shenzhen Minrun agricultural product chain store, which
reduced its electricity consumption by 30 percent a year and saved
more than six million yuan in electricity bills after installing
electricity-saving lamps in more than 100 shops.
Refrigerating equipment and air conditioning systems should also
be energy-saving ones.
(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2006)