More than 18 million fewer shopping bags were distributed by 25 retail chains last month under the 'no plastic bags every day' campaign, the Hong Kong Retail Management Association said yesterday.
The campaign, initially joined by 25 retailers with more than 2,100 outlets, has yielded a 40 per cent cut in the bags issued to consumers since it was launched on March 3.
'The reduction has exceeded our expectations and we are very encouraged by this,' association chairwoman Caroline Mak Sui-king said.
The number of bags distributed, as reported by individual retailers, fell from 47.5 million in March 2008 to 28.8 million the same month this year. Most of the cut came from the big supermarket chains, the association said, without offering details. Under the campaign, plastic bags are not handed out to consumers unless they ask for them.
Ms Mak said more retailers had joined the voluntary campaign since last month, which reinforced the association's belief that voluntary efforts were more effective than a mandatory levy on plastic bags.
In the past month, 21 more retailers have signed up to the campaign, lifting the total to 46 retailers, or 2,400 outlets.
The association has also written to more than 70 retailer and wholesaler chambers asking them to join.