Environmentalists spoke out again yesterday in their campaign to reduce the mountain of waste created by mooncake lovers during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Friends of the Earth urged consumers to buy only mooncakes in environmentally friendly packaging with a minimum of components.
The call came as the group awarded a 'simple packaging logo' to three bakeries. Products from Maxim's, Arome Bakery and Saint Honore were chosen out of eight entries from five companies gearing up to sell mooncakes during the festival, which falls on October 6.
'We hope the simple packaging campaign can remind consumers to go one step further by buying mooncakes with less packaging, so that they can enjoy the traditional delicacy and support environmental protection,' said Michelle Au Wing-tsz, the group's environmental affairs officer.
The products were judged according to a list of criteria and awarded scores for positives such as using no more than seven components in packets of two mooncakes or using biodegradable materials for internal wrapping.
'Maxim's green-packaged mooncakes contain only five pieces of packaging, which is two pieces less than required for the contest. It uses recycled paper as packaging material, and their design also includes handles to avoid the need for using an extra carrier bag,' Ms Au said.