Environmental campaigners are calling on e-commerce giants Lazada and Shoppee to be more mindful of their plastic footprint amid warnings that their booming business could worsen the impacts of plastic pollution on public health and the environment.
In September, Greenpeace Philippines sent a letter to the two online shopping platforms to amplify the calls of concerned citizens to reveal, reduce and redesign their business.
A petition headed by Youth Strike for Climate Philippines signed by nearly 15,000 people also called on both companies to develop policies to ensure the “rational reduction of unnecessary plastic packaging” such as excessive bubble wrap and multiple layers of plastic in their packages.
Following the October 10 sales, environmental campaigners said that both Lazada and Shoppee remain silent on demands to change their plastic-heavy business despite warnings that it would worsen the impacts of plastic pollution on public health and the environment.
They urged the online stores to help small to medium-sized eco-friendly ventures by providing incentives to those who would reduce or eliminate plastics from their products and packaging. The challenge for companies to think about reuse models for their packages, similar to those being practiced in other countries, was also raised.
In the Philippines, e-commerce has doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports show a 55 percent growth in its market value by 2020. Filipinos using e-commerce are forecast to reach 55.8 million.
“With every sale they hold, Lazada and Shoppee rack up record profits while leaving Filipinos to shoulder cleanup for tons of plastic packaging they caused,” said Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Jefferson Chua.
He implored the two e-commerce giants to invest in sustainable solutions already being implemented by small and medium enterprises, such as providing returnable and reusable packaging.
As e-commerce grows, so will the amount of plastic waste the industry generates. The earlier industry leaders come up with solutions that can reduce excessive plastic use and lower packaging costs while at the same time eliminate unnecessary waste, the better it will be for everyone involved, the planet Earth included.*
