Are Hong Kong supermarkets using too much plastic? Greenpeace slams chains for wasteful packaging
- Survey shows most consumers put responsibility of reducing single-use plastics squarely on shoulders of retailers
- 70 per cent of respondents prefer shopping in supermarkets that stripped off unnecessary and wasteful plastic
Mangoes encased in so much plastic wrap that unpacking one is akin to peeling off multiple layers of onion skin, plastic bottles of fruit juices that come in yet another plastic bag, and hardy items such as pineapples and coconuts covered in useless cling film.
These are just a few glaring examples raised by a green group to highlight Hong Kong’s consumption problem and its wasteful use of plastic.
On Friday Greenpeace released poll results showing that 70 per cent of respondents prefer shopping in supermarkets that stripped off unnecessary and wasteful plastic wraps.
About 90 per cent of those polled put the responsibility of reducing single-use plastics squarely on the shoulders of supermarkets, while 63 per cent agree the problem of unnecessary packaging in supermarkets is severe or very severe.
The survey was conducted in April by Shue Yan University, involving interviews with 1,000 Hongkongers who had shopped in supermarkets over the past month.