CULTURE, Culture

Plastic no More: Uniqlo is Eliminating Plastic Shopping Bags

Written by Maari Sugawara（Managing Editor） on

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One of the most pressing environmental issues today is and has been for the past decade, the excessive use of plastic bags.
Fast Retailing Co. is the operator of the Uniqlo; they stated that they will switch from plastic to paper shopping bags in September. There will also be a charge for each bag.

This effort is expected to, by 2020, reduce the amount of plastic used by Uniqlo by at least 85 percent–around 7,800 tons annually.

Shopping bags made from recycled paper

Uniqlo stores around the world will be using shopping bags made from recycled paper and other eco-friendly material.

There are stores in Europe that already use paper bags in lieu of plastic ones. But those stores will also start using eco-friendly paper bags.

In Japan, shoppers will be charged 10 yen plus tax per bag (approximately 10 cents CAN).

Uniqlo, which has approximately 2100 shops around the world is, along with Fast Packaging, continuing to reconsider using plastic to package products. Plastic packaging will also be eliminated, in all Uniqlo stores from September, and the company is dedicated to continuing to develop different ways in which they can reduce the packaging of products using plastic.

Maari Sugawara is an emerging artist who lives and works in Toronto. After two years of working as part of an artist management team in Tokyo, she moved to Toronto conduct research on diasporic communities and spaces. Maari is a photographer, translator, a research assistant at Ryerson University’s image arts program.