NTUC FairPrice extends 'No Plastic Bag' initiative for another year at selected stores
SINGAPORE — NTUC FairPrice will extend its “No Plastic Bag” initiative at 25 of its supermarket and convenience stores by one more year, with effect from Thursday (12 November).
The initiative had saved about 15.6 million plastic bags at these stores over the past year, with about 7.8 million bring-your-own-bag transactions, said FairPrice in a media release on Wednesday.
About seven in 10 customers who shopped at participating supermarkets chose to either bring their own bags or refused plastic bags, while close to nine in 10 customers did so at the convenience stores.
“The ‘No Plastic Bag’ initiative is part of the FairPrice Plastic Bag Management Programme which aims to reduce excessive use of plastic bags and at the same time encourage a behavioural change in customers,” said FairPrice Group chief executive officer Seah Kian Peng.
“We are encouraged by the positive customer response garnered; the significant number of plastic bags saved in this short span of one year is a testimony of the greater public awareness for the environment.”
Charges for plastic bags
FairPrice is currently the only supermarket chain in Singapore to continue charging for plastic bags at participating outlets.
Customers who require bags can purchase them at 20 cents per transaction at FairPrice, FairPrice Finest and FairPrice Xtra stores, or 10 cents per transaction at Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores.
Proceeds raised from the initiative will go towards supporting environmental and community causes. Over the past year, about $600,000 was raised from the plastic bag charges.
FairPrice said in the media release that, while the majority of the customers supported the initiative by bringing their own bags, there were also challenges faced on the ground such as having to manage customers who demanded for excessive plastic bags after paying for them.
It added that it continue public education efforts to raise awareness on the importance of plastic waste reduction. It targets to save 30 million plastic bags per year by 2030.
Participating FairPrice supermarkets and convenience stores: FairPrice Xtra@Hougang One, FairPrice Xtra@Kallang Wave Mall, FairPrice Finest@100AM, FairPrice Finest@Zhong Shan Park, FairPrice Finest@Paya Lebar Quarter, FairPrice Finest@Terminal 3, FairPrice Finest@Funan, FairPrice Finest@Bukit Timah Plaza, FairPrice Finest@Valley Point, FairPrice@Coronation Plaza, FairPrice@Tai Seng, Cheers (1 Create Way), Cheers (Sengkang Community Hospital), Cheers (Tanah Merah MRT Station), Cheers (FairPrice Hub), Cheers (Caribbean at Keppel Bay), Cheers (611 Aljunied Road), Cheers (174 Holland Road), Cheers (30 Dunearn Road), Cheers (141 Bukit Timah Road), Cheers (751 Bukit Timah Road), Cheers (650 Dunearn Road), Cheers (870 Dunearn Road), FairPrice Xpress (384 Lorong Chuan).
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