Hong Kong’s supermarkets explore plastic-free solutions at local forum, but are they open to the change?

Representatives from Wellcome, ParknShop and Yata met a French plastic-free retailer that uses bins and recycled packaging to help people shop sustainably

But to achieve that, they need to first find suppliers willing to provide products that are not pre-packaged

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Are Hong Kong’s supermarket chains open to adopting new ways of cutting waste packaging?

Published: 8:00am, 15 Oct 2019Updated: 9:27am, 15 Oct 2019

Plastic-free retailers have voiced doubt over whether some of Hong Kong’s biggest supermarket chains would be entirely open to adopting new ways of cutting waste packaging from their businesses.

At a forum hosted by Greenpeace and the University of Hong Kong on Monday, linking local supermarket representatives with non-plastic businesses, Raphaël De Ry, founder of local plastic-free store Edgar, said divorcing the city’s reliance on plastic faced major obstacles.

“The [supermarkets] seem open to listening but don’t seem very open to changing their supply chain, though some seem more open than others,” said De Ry, when asked about the reaction from local supermarkets.

“The problem is there is no carrot and no stick.” Most supermarkets will follow regulations but if there are none, it is business as usual, he said.

Didier Onraita, co-founder of Day by Day, a no plastic supermarket in France. Photo: May Tse

At the forum, representatives from three Hong Kong supermarket chains – Wellcome, ParknShop and Yata – met Didier Onraita, 50, co-founder of French non-plastic retailer Day By Day, which sells dry foods like rice, pasta and beans, as well as shampoos, soaps and detergents in-store not packaged and in bulk.