Yesterday, on the seventh day of the eleventh month (yes, props for being thematic), 7-Eleven Thailand announced its intention to reduce and discontinue plastic bangs in their stores across the country.
No, they’re not actually going to stop giving you plastic bags. Yes, they are going to gently incentivize your not asking for one — and not so subtly attempt to recruit more “7-card” members.
Tanin Buranamanit, the CEO of CP All Public Company Limited (the operator of 7-Eleven in Thailand), said the convenience store chain wants to expand on their environmental “7 Go Green” initiative, which originally began in 2007, according to Brand Inside.
Here’s the board of directors making the announcement in an unnecessarily dramatic way.
To encourage customers to opt out of plastic bags, 7-Eleven will now reward 10 points to “7-Card” holders who bring their own bag or refuse bagging for their items.
Customers can use their points as payment at the store. (50 points equates to one baht.)
So essentially, only 7-Eleven members get incentives for saving the environment.
Many netizens were quick to point out that key catch.
“If you’re not a 7-Eleven card holder but opt out of the plastic bags? What do you get? It would be cool if we had an incentive, too,” suggested one commenter
But never fear, the convenience chain titan said there’s still a way we can all win, explaining in a separate Facebook post that, next month, they will begin an initiative that will enable the whole country to “make merit every time they shop at 7-Eleven.”
Reusable cloth bags filled with Singha and shrimp crackers, such is the path to nirvana.
“Everytime one opts out of plastic bags, we will donate medical equipment to a hospital. Does that sound good?” the official 7-Eleven page replied to netizens on Facebook.
Coconuts will definitely keep an eye out to see if they convenience mega-chain follows through with that promise.
Skepticism and PR intentions aside, however, efforts to reduce plastic waste are undisputedly much needed in the kingdom.
If you’ve spent time in the land of smiles and double-bagging, you’ll understand that bad plastic habits have been instilled in Bangkokians for generations
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