Green consumption trend: Changing habits to promote sustainable growth

Consumers are increasingly turning away from products and services that have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, not only the packaging but also the sellers and buyers need to meet sustainability standards.

Trading activities, connecting international supply chains. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Green consumption trends are growing rapidly in the world . Especially, when e-commerce is "exploding" and consumers are giving more priority to online shopping, meeting Green and sustainable standards is also a "passport" for businesses to build brands and participate in the supply chain.

The risk of plastic waste from online shopping

At the workshop "Plastic waste from e-commerce" recently organized by the Vietnam E-commerce Association, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, member of the Association's Senior Advisory Council on e-commerce, said that in Vietnam, in 2023, online retail sales will use 1.84 billion packages of goods, of which the volume of packaging and plastic materials is 306,000 tons.

In addition, most orders use foam and air bubble nylon foam as the packing material, with the proportions of 30% and 35% respectively. All orders use plastic tape as the auxiliary material.

“With a growth rate of over 25% per year, by 2030, the scale of Vietnam's e-commerce could be 4.7 times larger than it is now, at which time the amount of plastic waste from e-commerce will reach 800,000 tons,” Mr. Hung said.

Therefore, according to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, it is time to have policies to promote the development of digital economy and e-commerce in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan, Head of Policy Department, Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ) said that the amount of waste generated from e-commerce and online shopping is at least 5 times higher than that of traditional commerce.

Green consumption trends require production to promote environmentally friendly products. (Photo: Duc Duy/Vietnam+)

Further evidence, Mr. Nguyen Huu Tuan informed that even the smallest order had to be packaged and used materials such as cartons, nylon bags, tapes, etc., while if buying traditional goods, less nylon bags could be used and almost no tape or cardboard would be used.

Overpackaging leads to the use of more packaging than is necessary. Sellers often want to ensure that goods reach customers in the most perfect condition. Goods are often wrapped in two or three layers of paper and plastic bags, and even bubble wrap before being placed in the box.

Towards Green e-commerce

In Vietnam, many businesses have prioritized green products in an effort to reduce plastic waste, limit the use of nylon bags and instead use recycled products, or reusable bags at affordable prices...

Mr. Le Manh Phong, CEO of Go/BigC system in Hanoi and the North, stated that the company's orientation is always towards sustainable consumption. This trend has become more evident in recent years, specifically, an environmentally friendly product from raw materials, production process to packaging will bring competitiveness to the business and consumers using environmentally friendly or non-environmentally friendly products will also be clearer.

Citing this positive point, Mr. Phong informed that up to 31% of customers are willing to pay more for a product that can support environmental protection and that trend has been increasing rapidly in recent years.

“Many large enterprises have started to shift their best-selling products from conventional packaging to eco-friendly packaging and the consumption of eco-friendly products is higher,” said Mr. Phong.

In fact, green consumption is becoming inevitable. Consumers are aware of the need for environmental protection activities and are changing their behaviors and habits to have a positive impact on environmental protection.

Mr. Quach Tat Liem, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Binh province, said that up to now, Hoa Binh province has supported about 50% of enterprises in the distribution sector to receive guidance and apply solutions on cleaner production and energy saving.

The locality also proposed many solutions to reduce the use of non-degradable packaging in traditional markets, shopping malls and supermarkets; 55% of enterprises in industrial parks and industrial clusters applied clean and environmentally friendly technological innovation; 70% of enterprises participated in the production and supply chain of safe agricultural and food products.

Transactions via e-commerce. (Photo: Duc Duy/Vietnam+)

In addition, Hoa Binh province also focuses on supporting small and medium-sized production and business establishments and enterprises to form clean production chains in each field such as agriculture, forestry, fishery, construction, consumer goods, mechanical engineering, electricity, electronics... with a system of supermarkets and retail distribution centers. From there, a close link is formed: Green production - Green distribution - Green consumption.

Regarding the e-commerce sector, Ms. Lai Viet Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that when Green consumption becomes a trend, e-commerce must also transform itself, moving towards Green e-commerce.

To reduce the impact of e-commerce on the environment, Ms. Lai Viet Anh suggested that the sales stage should use environmentally friendly delivery vehicles; build smart logistics, optimize transportation and delivery. In addition, the packaging stage should encourage the use of recycled packaging, while reducing the amount of packaging at each stage. Retailers need to have solutions to change consumer habits towards Green delivery./.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/xu-huong-tieu-dung-xanh-thay-doi-thoi-quen-de-thuc-day-tang-truong-ben-vung-5015235.html