FamilyMart, which sells over 100 million cups of coffee annually, announced today (31st) that its 400 stores will introduce recycling cups on a large scale. Greenpeace said this may be the first case for a convenience store chain in East Asia.
Single-use plastic packaging is a significant contributor to marine pollution. According to Greenpeace estimates, approximately 2 billion beverage cups are used annually in Taiwan. The Environmental Protection Agency announced its latest plastic restrictions in December 2021, banning styrofoam beverage cups starting in July of this year and requiring major beverage chains to implement reusable cups in at least 5% of their stores by 2023.
Greenpeace project director Zhang Kaiting pointed out that FamilyMart, which sells more than 100 million cups of coffee annually, was the first to respond to the Environmental Protection Administration's new plastic reduction policy and introduced a recycling cup service a year early. This not only helps reduce disposable packaging, but also promotes daily plastic reduction in the hands of every consumer.
Greenpeace announced in a press release that it has been advocating for Taiwan's retail and hypermarket channels to develop plastic reduction plans since 2019. FamilyMart responded by launching a "Recycled Cup Pilot Program" in Taichung's Calligraphy Greenway shopping district, installing recycling cup rental machines within the store. This initiative reduced the use of over 1,500 disposable packages in four months. Greenpeace noted that FamilyMart's expansion of the recycling cup model demonstrates the viability of a sustainable business model.
Greenpeace called on the leading convenience store chain 7-Eleven, other chain retailers, and coffee shops to accelerate their efforts to achieve greater progress in Taiwan's recycling model. Chang Kai-ting also emphasized that Greenpeace will continue to advocate for FamilyMart, PX, and other convenience stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets to establish comprehensive corporate plastic reduction targets and adopt innovative recycling models. Furthermore, Greenpeace will quickly implement pilot programs such as unpacked fruit and vegetable sales and in-store refill stations in fruit and vegetable areas, which are particularly susceptible to single-use packaging, to prevent consumers from buying large quantities of unnecessary plastic packaging.
Source: Environmental Information Center (https://e-info.org.tw/node/233739)
