From Vienna to Vancouver. Before I started my exchange semester in Vancouver I read a lot about Green Vancouver and its sustainability approach. Digging deeper I became very impressed by Vancouver’s sustainability initiatives like: how you can go green, the renewable city strategy, Zero Waste Vancouver, etc.
However, as I arrived here and walked into supermarkets and drogue stores for the first couple of times I was quite shocked and confused. Why?! Because I was not used to the situation that all purchased items were getting packed automatically into plastic bags. Firstly in Austria you always have to pay for the proper plastic and paper bags in supermarkets and drogue stores. Secondly the amount of plastic, which is needed for these numerous plastic shopping bags, did not really align with the Zero Waste policy of Vancouver from my point of view.
As a matter of fact the world watch institution reported that 100 billion plastic grocery bags were thrown away in 2002 in America. The greener footprints website claims that Canadians use 9-15 billion plastic shopping bags per year. Although there is a huge difference between those two numbers, it’s clear that both have massive negative impacts on the environment. The article plastic bags statistics lists some of them. Another study, in which UBC participated, about northern fulmars, showed that they are a biological monitor of trends of plastic pollution in the east North Pacific. The scientists examined the stomach contents of 67 beached fulmars, which were found on the beaches of the North Pacific (2009-2010). Results showed that plastic ingestion was observed in 92,5% of theses fulmars, which was also the highest amount reported so fare.
Nevertheless companies like Adidas are getting aware of the enormous negative impacts of plastic (plastic bags) and are starting to implement measures. That’s why the Adidas group baned plastic bags from their retail stores in 2016. According to them this restriction will eliminate 70 million plastic shopping bags worldwide per year.
Links:
Fulmars study: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X12001828
Plastic bags statistics: https://www.niftyhomestead.com/blog/plastic-bag-stats/
Worldwatch institute: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5565
Adidas: http://www.adidas-group.com/en/media/news-archive/press-releases/2016/adidas-group-makes-plastic-shopping-bags-history/
Greener Footpints: http://www.greenerfootprints.com/plastic-bag-facts/
City of Vancouver: http://vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/zero-waste-vancouver.aspx
ClaireGannier
January 23, 2017 — 8:41 pm
Thank you Isabella for this post, I share your impression 100%, and I was shocked as well when I want grocery shopping for the first time in Vancouver!
Plastic bags are treated really hard in France too. The only places where you can still find plastic bags (and I think this also is going to change soon) is in the fruit/vegetable area in supermarkets.
You’re completely right about companies’ ability to decide to distribute their goods in renewable materials (reusable fabric tote bags, reusable and recycled plastic bags, or at least paper bags).
However, I feel that it is typically a field in which governments have to implement and enforce laws to merely ban plastic bags (maybe step by step, as France did), leaving no choice to consumers and companies to use plastic bags anymore.
emmaysullivan
February 7, 2017 — 11:10 pm
Also really interesting when you think about proportionally:
Canada only has ~35 million people and consumes 9-15 billion plastic bags annually. The United States has ~360 million people and consumers 100 billion bags annually. While people may expect Canada to have better consumption, the ratio is actually very similar to the United States.
On the bright side, I have actually started to notice grocery stores that charge for plastic bags which is pretty cool!
I think this whole thing relates back to the whole ‘do you force a change on the consumer’ or ‘let them make the decisions’ conversation we’ve had in class and I think when it comes to a situation like this, it’s obvious that it’s better not to give the consumer a choice.