Mr. Thanin Buranamanit, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CP ALL Plc. founder of 7-11 stores in Thailand, said on the 7th of the 11th month (November) that he will announce a strong determination to reduce and stop the use of plastic bags at Seven Stores, and invite Thai people to reduce and stop using plastic bags together by reducing the use of one plastic bag per day to help reducing global warming problem. In the past, the company was well supported by consumers and tourists who used the service at 7-Eleven stores because everyone was aware of the impact of plastic bag waste on the world.
“I want to thank you all for not accepting plastic bags with the project ‘refusing plastic bag, getting the value points’. All branches of 7-11 stores nationwide will give 10 points to customers who pay via 7 Value Card and refuse plastic bags. In addition, there is a project to reduce the use of plastic bags that the company has continuously implemented. A variety of projects, such as the project ‘refusing plastic bags… to be satisfied, use a cloth bag…say goodbye to plastic bags’, etc.” Mr. Thanin said.
Mr. Thanin said that the company has recently expanded the campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags in the areas such as universities, hospitals and islands that are natural tourist attractions. The islands are an important area for driving the tourism industry of Thailand to grow and preserving the environment on the natural tourist area through activities “Rak Andaman – Unite to reduce the use of plastic bags” by cooperating with the Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Green World Foundation, Charoen Pokphand Group, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, National parks on various islands, local communities, civil society, which has already been implemented at Koh Lanta, Koh Yao Noi – Koh Yao Yai, Koh Lipe, Phi Phi Island, including Koh Tao and Koh Samet. In cooperation with civil society and communities in various islands, this can encourage youth travelers and people in the area to be involved and help to drive and reduce plastic bags leading to new behavior to create sustainable eco-tourism concept.
The company has invited people and tourists to join, reduce and stop using plastic bags. Through a campaign of 4 styles within all branches of 7-11 stores located on the island consisting of: 1. Cancel to give small bags to all customers, except for hot products; 2. Cancel cap seal (using plastic cap for drinking water bottles) 3. Cancel the use of plastic covering the tube and turning into paper instead of plastic including install a tube press box to reduce the amount of use of the tube; and 4. Install a separated trash bin at the front of the all branches of 7-11 stores to support the waste management approach from the source for the community, and ready to install campaign media to promote and reduce all forms of plastic bags.
In addition, the activity has been extended to youths and society in the ‘Kid-tung, Kid-tung’ campaign through the creation of a Thai youth network to reduce the use of plastic bags and has expanded the project to educational institutions and universities. The project has been cooperated with Thammasat University (Rangsit Center), where is the first place of the project to reduce the use of plastic bags, and can reduce the use of plastic bags by up to 80%, and then cooperated with Mahidol University and Chulalongkorn University. Therefore, reducing the use of plastic bags in 7-11 stores in such universities was up to 90% in 2017, which reduced the use of 24.09 million plastic bags This year, thememorandum of agreement with 30 universities was signed and cooperated to be a pilot project and be a good model for expanding the results to create environmental sustainability for communities and society.
Moreover, there is a project ” Refusing plastic bags … Getting merit”, one of the campaigns to reduce the use of plastic bags in 7-11 store inside Ramathibodi Hospital. When customers buy products from the store and refuse plastic bags, the store will accumulate the cost of 0.20 baht and give it to the Ramathibodi Foundation. The project has been also expanded to 7-11 stores In the Medical Center of Srinakharinwirot University and Thammasat Hospital. This kind of project will be continuously expanded to allow people to participate in reducing the use of plastic bags and make merit as well.
