《Global Times》2 Thursday August 27.2009 

China’s ban on plastic bags to save resources and limit the adverse effect they have on the environment appears to be showing its worth after one year, the government noted yesterday. But analysts warned that it isn’t the ultimate solution for the country’s  green drive.

A brief released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) yesterday said the ban has been “a significant achievement,” saving the equivalent of between 2.4 million and 3 million tons of oil in one year.

The ban is believed to have resulted in 60 percent fewer bags being used by supermarket shoppers, alone saving as much as half a million tons of plastic. The reduction is also estimated to have cut carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 9.6 million tons, according to official figures.

The country, struggling to combat its deteriorating environment, introduced the ban on plastic bags less than 0.025 millimeters thick on June 1 of last year and ordered supermarkets to stop providing free bags to shoppers in a bid to reduce “white pollution”- a term for excessive plastic packaging.

Serving to raise society’s awareness of environmental conservation, the ban encourages people to seek other alternatives, such as reusable bags. The brief also noted that the carryover effect promotes green living in people’s homes.

As many as 74 percent of Internet users who participated in a Global Times poll on huanqiu.com yesterday said they support the regulation. About 58 percent said  they have used fewer plastic bags, while about 41 percent hadn’t seen any change as result of the law.

Huang Yan, a college student in Beijing, is one of the legislation’s supporters, but questioned whether supermarkets are simply using it to profit on bag sales. “Authorities should encourage consumers to use alternative bags, such as cotton ones.” Huang said.

Provinces and regions has also taken effective measures in line with the ban. In southwest Yunnan Province, officials took the initiative a step further, banning the production, sale and use of all forms of plastic bags in the province. And in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, local residents are encouraged to use recyclable paper bags, woven bags, woven bags and other alternatives.

I am afraid of possible harsh punishment ,” a manager of a plastic production factory in Hebei Province, who declined to give his name, told the Global Times, adding that the ban trims profits, but hasn’t threatened the business.

The restrictions are in line with a growing international trend. Measures such as heavy taxes and outright bans are being put in place in countries across Asia and Europe.

It is also part of the country’s overall plan to go green. According to an initiative two years ago ,by 2010 China plans to lower its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent over the figures of 2005 and increase the proportion of renewable energy to 10 percent of its total energy use.

“The ban itself is effective in reducing the use of plastic bags, especially in cities and downtowns, and enhancing the public’s environmental awareness ,”  said Dong Jinshi, an environmentalist and deputy secretary of the Beijing Society for Environmental Science.

Against the backdrop of the prevalence of Western-style consumerism, plastics add a convenience to people’s lives, so the government is struggling to instill a sense of environmental awareness in the world’s most populous country.

Dong warned that the move isn’t the ultimate solution for the country’s green drive. saying the most significant task is to crack down on various sources that lead to white pollution and educate people on environmental protection, as the ban itself is far from perfect.

Li ling, vice director of the Resources Economization and Environment Protection Department at the NDRC, told CCTV on May 23 that the execution of the ban had been far from satisfactory in small shops and farmers’ markets.

“The number of orders of banned plastic bags hasn’t drop drastically, despite the ban last year. But prices indeed increased,” another Hebeibased factory owner ,who solicits orders only on the Internet and declined to be named, said by phone.

Market demand is still there, and we could deliver 1 million pieces of the banned plastic bags within a week, the factory owner said.

Food markers in particular have become blind sports where free plastic bags remain rampant.

“When the ban was first issued, vendors would give people bags, but in a stealthy way. Now they don’t even think about it,” said Yang Huan, who lives in the Haidian district of Beijing.