7-Eleven Stores In Thailand Will No Longer Be Providing Plastic Bags To Customers

"Starting 25 November, we will stop giving plastic bags to 7-Eleven customers at 137 pilot branches scattered nationwide," said Suwit Kingkaew who is the senior vice president of sustainable development at CP All, the company which operates the convenience store chain in Thailand.

"This pilot programme will get us ready for the 'no plastic bag' policy to be employed at the start of next year at all branches of 7-Eleven," he said, as quoted by The Nation.

Out of the country's 10,300 stores, the 137 branches involved in the trial will display posters to let customers know that they should bring their own bags when shopping there.

"If customers don't have their own bags, 7-Eleven also sells high-quality fabric bags at a reasonable price," said Suwit.

According to Bangkok Post, the country's environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa hopes that this collaboration will help Thailand leave the list of major generators of waste and sea garbage in the world.

"This type of campaign should have been done long ago. We have spent so much time trying to negotiate. At last, we made it," said Varawut when the agreement was announced in September.

In addition, styrofoam food packages and other single-use plastic items including straws and cups, will be banned by the start of 2022.

According to Reuters, environmental group Greenpeace said about 75 billion pieces of plastic bags end up in the waste each year in Thailand.

Of this number, half are from malls, supermarkets, and convenience stores, while the other half comes from traditional markets and street vendors.

The cooperation of retail titans and department stores could help reduce single-use plastic usage in the country by 30%, said Thailand's environment minister.