Shoppers excited with eco-friendly action of wrapping veggies with green banana leaves at Co.opmart supermarket

According to Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hong Loan – Director of Phan Thiet Co.opmart supermarket, we have used banana leaves as a pilot to wrap foods in an effort to slash plastic waste in Phan Thiet city. Although it has been implemented for only few days, the method has received a positive response from customers, particularly foreigners. We will conduct the practical action all the following time and expand it to all the Supermarket chains. Wrapping food and veggies with banana leaves will foster the product fresh longer than that of plastic bag, and it contributes to raising public awareness of protecting the environment for the community’s benefits. The material also promotes green shopping behavior and a healthy lifestyle, while ensuring food safety.

Over the past few days, the vegetable section at Phan Thiet Coopmart supermarket in Binh Thuan has been rearranged with a different look, bringing a lot of interest to shoppers. Accordingly, vegetables and herbs, which used to be covered with plastic wrap, are now wrapped with banana leaves.

Ms. Hong, a shopper from Phu Thuy ward, said that food court at this supermarket often use plastic wrap and cling-film wrap to package their products, from meat, fish, and flowers, to vegetables and fruits. She said that the replacement of plastic packaging with banana leaves is a good and practical way to reduce the use of plastic and protect the environment.

Up to date, many supermarkets in Vietnam are trying to use eco-friendly alternatives to wrap their products instead of single-use plastic bags. Reportedly, Vietnam is one of Asia’s five worst polluters of ocean plastic waste, according to international organizations. With 13 million tons of waste released to the ocean every year, the country ranks 17th in the world for ocean plastic waste pollution.

Translated and combined by My Thien