THE ENVIRONMENTAL group called “EcoWaste Coalition” called on online shopping portals Lazada and Shopee to do their part for the environment by cutting back on the use of disposable plastic materials for their packaging and deliveries.
“We urge these companies to implement a genuine plastic use reduction scheme and to support their sellers and logistic providers to implement similar measures,” said Coleen Salamat, Plastic Solutions Campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition.
The rapid growth of e-commerce was
observed during the Covid-19 pandemic and according to the Department of Trade
and Industry, the sector is valued at P1.2 trillion which is equivalent to 5.5%
of the country’s economy.
However, Salamat laments that plastic
waste generated from e-commerce packaging adds an additional and unnecessary
burden to cities and communities that are already having a hard time coping
with increased solid waste brought by the pandemic.
“Lazada and Shopee should be responsible for the waste that they help create and support global efforts to save our climate and environment. Cutting back on their plastic waste should be a very simple step for these multi-million companies. Let us stop sacrificing our environment for profit,” she said.
Last October 2021, more than 15,000 people signed a petition by “Youth Strike for Climate Philippines” and “Greenpeace” demanding Lazada and Shopee to reduce unnecessary plastics such as bubble wraps, and multi-layer plastics used in packages and deliveries. (Zamboanga Post)
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