[pinkypanther]

SINGAPORE — Supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice will extend its “no plastic bag” initiative to all 167 Cheers and FairPrice Xpress outlets from Jan 1.

This comes as the firm continues the initiative for another year at 24 current FairPrice, Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores.

FairPrice on Friday (Nov 12) said that customers will have to pay S$0.20 at selected supermarkets and S$0.10 at convenience stores for each transaction.

The initiative started with a month-long pilot in October 2019 before being expanded a month later. It was then extended for another year in 2020.

The aim is to reduce the excessive use of plastic bags and encourage behavioural change in customers, the firm said.

It added that since the initiative started, over 30 million plastic bags have been saved and seven out of 10 customers are now willing to carry along their own bags when they visit the stores.

FairPrice’s announcement was made at a tree planting event attended by Minister of State for National Development Tan Kiat How. The event saw the firm’s charity arm, NTUC FairPrice Foundation, make a S$180,000 contribution to the National Parks Board’s Garden City Fund and OneMillionTrees movement.

Besides the supermarket chain, other retailers that have charged customers for single-use plastic bags include clothing retailers H&M and Uniqlo, as well as health and beauty care chain Watsons.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/al...bags-jan-1