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  Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Local stores should also charge for plastic bags
Letter from Grant W. Pereira Head Green Volunteers Network Singapore Environment Council

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Education the best way to spread message why we need to reduce use of plastic bags
Letter from Lester Lam Yong Ling

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Ikea got me planning for my future shopping trips
Letter from Jessica Joan Chang Bee Eng (Ms)

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Cold Storage and NTUC FairPrice should follow Ikea's lead
Letter from Teo Keng Chuan

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Once Singaporeans have to pay for plastic bags, they will think twice before asking for more
Letter from Samantha Ng Bee San (Ms) Hawaii, USA

Straits Times Forum 11 Apr 07
Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags
Retailer hopes to cut waste; from April 22, shoppers will pay up to 10 cents for them
By Tania Tan

HOMEWARE store Ikea will become the first retailer in Singapore to charge for plastic bags in a bid to reduce waste.

From April 22, shoppers at the retail giant's two outlets in Alexandra Road and Tampines will have to pay a nominal five cents for standard-size bags and 10 cents for larger ones.

Ikea spokesman Lars Svensson told The Straits Times the company is hoping to reduce the number of bags given out to customers here from the projected 5.5 million to four million in the first year.

They will also cut the price of their reusable blue bags from $2.90 to $1.20 to encourage more customers to BYOB (bring your own bag).

'The whole idea of the campaign is to change consumer practice in the long run,' said Mr Svensson.

To make sure the company is not accused of profiteering, proceeds from the sale of the bags will be donated to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to fund conservation efforts in Indonesia. The money will help fund initiatives by the Indonesian government and non-government organisations to prevent and monitor illegal fires and forest-clearing and promote sustainable forest management.

Singapore is the latest country to be targeted in Ikea's global campaign against plastic bags.

The campaign was rolled out in Britain last year, where it proved to be a huge success. Charging 10 pence (29 cents) per bag, the initiative cut the store's plastic bag usage by 95 per cent, said Mr Svensson.

Customers in the United States started paying for their plastic bags in February this year. The money raised in those sales was also channelled to environmental causes.

Singapore has tried reducing plastic bag usage before, with mixed results.

Past initiatives, like the National Environment Agency's (NEA) campaign last year to encourage reusable bags, met with varied results.

Though people are more aware of reusable bags, the number of disposable bags used has held steady at 2.5 billion a year, said the NEA. That works out to 625 bags per person.

Executive director of the Singapore Environment Council Howard Shaw said the resistance by retailers boiled down to 'a fear of losing customers'.

He hoped that Ikea's step will pave the way for other industry players to jump on the bandwagon.

Mr Harold Kloeden, managing director of waste management company Altvater Jakob, said: 'Hopefully the public will get more sensible and sensitive...and more people will start thinking about the environment.'

Other retailers, however, are not keen on the idea. Cold Storage said it would not charge for plastic bags as results from consumer surveys clearly showed that 'customers would not pay'.

Likewise, NTUC FairPrice said it prefers to encourage reusable bag use instead of charging. Shoppers like Miss Chen Ai Lian, 30, are equally unenthusiastic.

'Plastic bags are like advertisements for the retailers,' said the teacher. 'I don't see why I should pay to advertise for them.'

Undergraduate Mr Wang Zhenglin, 24, agreed. 'Pay? Definitely not,' he said.

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Local stores should also charge for plastic bags
Letter from Grant W. Pereira Head Green Volunteers Network Singapore Environment Council

I REFER to the report, 'Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags' (ST, April 11).

I applaud Ikea's move to cut down the use of plastic bags by charging for them.

Singaporeans use 2.5 billion plastic bags a year and this cannot go on. As Singaporeans we need to be more socially responsible and collectively make a concerted effort to reduce the use of plastic bags.

It is disappointing to note that we needed a foreign company to show us the way while large locally-owned stores like NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage and Prime just wring their hands and shrug their shoulders, saying it could not be done.

They should rethink their stand and follow Ikea's bold move.

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Education the best way to spread message why we need to reduce use of plastic bags
Letter from Lester Lam Yong Ling

I REFER to the article, 'Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags' (ST, April 11).

I am glad that Ikea is finally extending its global campaign to cut down the usage of plastic bags to Singapore. However, the responses of some Singaporeans suggest that they do not see the reason behind this campaign.

I believe the main problem is the lack of education on the harmful effects of global warming and the causes to it.

Every Singaporean uses more than 600 plastic bags each year. Of these, most are incinerated. Each plastic bag can release about 25g of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when incinerated. This works out to more than 15kg of carbon dioxide per Singaporean every year.

This is truly a cause for concern. As we all know, global warming is very real and the whole world, not only Singapore, will be affected.

Besides Ikea, seven major supermarket chains are also designating the first Wednesday of every month for shoppers to bring their own bags.

I believe this is a good effort but I hope that all efforts will not stop there. I would suggest more campaigns to be initiated to educate Singaporeans on global warming.

For a start, to coincide with Earth Day, all supermarkets can display mini-photos and articles on global warming at checkout counters. On that day, cashiers and maybe volunteers from environmental societies can be on hand to encourage shoppers to reduce plastic-bag usage. They can also share with shoppers some environmental facts.

Schools can introduce more lessons on environmental change and issues to educate our students about these hard facts.

I believe education and campaigns are the keys to realise the reduction on plastic bag usage. Retailers and schools can do their part to educate our people. In this way, we will be able to rejuvenate our planet, which is our home.

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Ikea got me planning for my future shopping trips
Letter from Jessica Joan Chang Bee Eng (Ms)

AS AN individual who is equally guilty of not being pro-active with recycling programmes, I would like to applaud Ikea for making such a bold and brave move.

Although Ikea may potentially face displeasure from shoppers, it went ahead with its recycling plans which mean well for the welfare of the people and generations to come.

Today, the US recycles about 28 per cent of its waste, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years. Most European countries, for example, Switzerland, recycles at least 80 per cent of their plastic bottles.

Apparently the Swiss do not recycle just because they care about the environment, there is also a strong financial incentive to do so. Recycling is free, but for most parts of Switzerland throwing away rubbish costs money - each bag has to have a sticker and each sticker costs at least one euro.

So the less you throw out in a plastic bag, the more you save.

I may not have the means to influence the majority to embrace the 'No Plastic' move but Ikea has got me planning for my future shopping trips.

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Cold Storage and NTUC FairPrice should follow Ikea's lead
Letter from Teo Keng Chuan

I APPLAUD Ikea's decision to charge for the use of its plastic bags.

I am only surprised that it has taken anyone here so long to make this commitment on something so seemingly logical and simple.

However, Ikea seems to be a tiny minority here and I continue to lament the surprising immaturity of the attitudes of a supposedly First World people.

It is beyond comprehension that both Cold Storage and NTUC Fairprice continue to defend their decision not to charge consumers for their plastic bags. Given this attitude, then I say: Do as we have always done for the collective good of society and, in this case, the environment.

Do not give them a choice. Both supermarkets are, without doubt, leaders in their industry. If both follow Ikea's lead, I do not see how either would lose market share.

Food is a necessity so I simply do not foresee a mass exodus of consumers from supermarkets to wet markets and mini-marts just so they can get their bags for free.

There may be a small minority but I am sure their numbers would only be a drop in the ocean. It would hardly put a dent in both companies' profit margins.

Weigh this against the revenue from the sale of bags and we see hardly a need for anyone to do the math.

We simply cannot be complacent any longer. We are bearing the consequences of the actions of generations before and it is our duty not to pass this responsibility to our future generations.

Cold Storage and NTUC FairPrice have the market presence to take the lead and, in turn, promote social responsibility as Ikea has done.

Straits Times Forum 18 Apr 07
Once Singaporeans have to pay for plastic bags, they will think twice before asking for more
Letter from Samantha Ng Bee San (Ms) Hawaii, USA

I REFER to the article, 'Ikea to start charging customers for plastic bags' (ST, April 11).

The fastest way practical and often materialistic Singaporeans will learn is through their pockets.

If the major givers of plastic bags start charging for them collectively, even a nominal sum like what Ikea has chosen to do, I can predict that Singaporeans will start saving plastic bags, if not forgo them altogether.

I speak from personal experience while staying in Germany, where plastic bags are not free for the taking, and rightly so. The first few times to the supermarket I forgot to bring along a bag, but I never did after paying for the mistake.

Most importantly, the experience made me very more aware and defensive of green issues, and that can't be a bad thing at all.

So, kudos to Ikea for being bold enough to do the right thing.

What does it say of our own corporations when we leave it to foreign talent to start where we are not bold enough to pick up?
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