An Analysis of the Impact of Charging for Plastic Shopping Bags to Retailers in

Shigezo Shukuya1, Kosuke Toshiki2 and Shoichi Kunikane2

1. Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan

2. Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka 422-8526, Japan

Received: July 20, 2011 / Accepted: August 31, 2011 / Published: February 20, 2012.

Abstract: In accordance with a revision of the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, there is an accelerating trend towards charging for plastic shopping bags (PSBs) in Japan for the purpose of reducing their discharge. The objectives of this research were to gauge, by means of a questionnaire survey, the opinions of retailers with regard to charging for PSBs, and to consider future directions for reducing the quantity of waste discharged. A questionnaire survey on charging for PSBs was conducted for retail stores in Shizuoka City. The survey was carried out in two phases. The results of the first phase (August to October 2008) showed that supermarkets were generally positive, while conversely other retailer types were negative. The results of the second phase (November to December, 2010), targeting only supermarkets that had introduced charging after the first survey, showed that there was no major confusion and the shift proceeded relatively smoothly. In addition, the number of customers did not decline on account of charging, and the ratio of shoppers bringing their own reusable “eco bags” jumped dramatically. On these accounts, it is evident that charging for PSBs is an effective means of reducing usage of PSBs. The authors view it as important for the relevant governmental agencies to work towards promoting charging at retailers and simultaneously repeatedly explaining to consumers the necessity for charging.

Key words: Charging for plastic shopping bags, questionnaire survey, retailers’ attitude survey, Containers and Packaging Recycling Law.

1. Introduction??

The high-level economic development in Japan since the 1970s has spurred on lifestyle changes such as the emergence of supermarkets and convenience stores, the entry of women into society, and the outsourcing of housekeeping. These lifestyle changes combined with the “throw-away era” of mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal, have led to plastic shopping bags (PSBs) being used in large quantities. In recent years, however, awareness of environmental issues has heightened in Japan, and, on this account the realization of a sustainable society with less natural resource consumption and a small environmental footprint has come to be advocated. With such an era as a backdrop, a revision of the Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packaging (Containers and Packaging Recycling Law) originally enacted on June 16, 1995, was approved on June 9, 2006, and promulgated on June 15 of the same year. In accordance with this revision, starting from April 1, 2007, mandatory restrictions were placed on discharges of containers and packaging from retailers using more than 50 t annually.

The current revision of the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law features measures to promote the control of discharge from businesses; namely, plastic shopping bag countermeasures have been introduced. The main purposes of this are to save resources used to produce PSBs and to reduce the costs of their disposal. Efforts to reduce the use of PSBs started with The Consumer Co-operative Kobe(CO-OP Kobe) in May 1978 with its Shopping Bag Reuse Movement [1], but such movements did not spread to other retailers for many years. However, following this revision of the Containers and Packaging Recycling Law, an increasing number of large supermarkets and other companies began to charge for PSBs. In order to analyze how general retailers view such a situation, we conducted a questionnaire survey of retailers based in the City of Shizuoka.

The policies of reduction of PSBs usage have been widely adopted and studied in Europe. Convery, et al.[2] reported that 15 Euro cents have been levied on a plastic shopping bag since 2002, so that the amount of PSBs distribution dropped by 90% in Ireland. Ayalon et al. [3] concluded that retailers might sell PSBs at cost, which would not affect direct use but might have an educational impact on citizens. Previous studies of the policy of charging for PSBs that targeted retailers in Japan include those of Funaki [4] and the Citizens’Sub-committee of the Kawasaki Global Environment Preservation Movement Project Promotion Congress[5]. The former study was characterized by its discussion of the effects of charging for PSBs from an environmental economics standpoint. The latter study concluded that cooperation and coordination between consumers and stores was necessary as part of efforts to reduce the use of PSBs, and that the manner in which these efforts were made was also important. Each study derived its own distinct conclusions but their focuses are lacking in cohesion on account of the collective discussion of all business types surveyed (3 types in the case of the City of Kawasaki: supermarkets, consumer co-operatives, and convenience stores; and 6 types in the case of Funaki: supermarkets, home centers, convenience stores, department stores, drug stores, and specialty and other stores).In this research, 7 types of establishment were surveyed: supermarkets, clothing stores, drug stores, large-scale home appliance retailers, neighborhood stores, 100 yen shops, and convenience stores. Except for supermarkets, the remaining 6 types are combined under the category of “Other retailers”, so that they could be compared with supermarkets. In addition, we focused on supermarkets in particular, and we analyzed whether there were differences between small-scale supermarkets and large-scale supermarkets in their philosophies with regards to charging for PSBs. Furthermore, after a certain period of time, an additional survey was conducted of supermarkets that had subsequently introduced charging. The findings are reported here.

2. Survey Content and Method

2.1 Outline of Surveyed Area

Shizuoka City was selected as the target area of our questionnaire surveys. On April 1, 2003, Shizuoka City merged with Shimizu City and the new Shizuoka City was formed. On April 1, 2005, the city became an ordinance-designated city. Furthermore, on April 1, 2006, the town of Kanbara was incorporated into Shizuoka City, followed by the town of Yui on November 1, 2008.

Conducting various types of surveys in the city of Shizuoka enables findings that represent an average for the whole of Japan, and on this account, the area is often selected as a location for various types of market research prior to nationwide development.

2.2 Objective

With the debate about charging for PSBs having spread nationwide, we conducted a survey with the objective of producing a document that would be of use when considering charging for PSBs in the future. We conducted 2 questionnaire surveys that sought to understand the attitudes of retailers operating within Shizuoka City.

2.3 Content

The questionnaire survey was carried out in two phases. In the first survey retailers were questioned on:(1) changes over time in quantities of PSBs distributed;(2) privileges offered shoppers bringing their own reusable bags; (3) whether they agreed or disagreed to charging for PSBs; (4) whether they agreed or disagreed to the introduction of charging; (5) assumed price of PSBs upon introduction of charging; (6) the expected increase or decline in the number of customers due to charging; (7) the expected waste reduction on charging for PSBs; and (8) issues expected to arise if PSBs are charged for. In the second survey, stores that introduced charging after the first survey (target group limited to supermarkets as discussed below in section 2.5) were once again surveyed and asked questions regarding: (1) reasons for introducing charging; (2) the price of PSBs; (3) whether the PSBs could be used as city-certified trash bags; (4) changes in the rate of refusal for PSBs; (5) changes in customer numbers due to charging; and (6) issues arising with customers upon initial introduction of charging.

Table 1 Number of questionnaire distribution and collection.

2.4 Survey Period

The first survey was carried out between August 11 and October 9, 2008. Some businesses concluded an agreement with the “Four Campaigns (4R) for Life in Shizuoka City Promotion Committee” (hereafter referred to as the 4R Promotion Committee) and Shizuoka City, and started charging for PSBs from October 1, 2008 but the authors were unaware of this fact at the time of the survey. After that more businesses participated in the agreement in June and December, 2009. The second survey was carried out between November 20 and December 8, 2010.

2.5 Survey Target Group and Distribution/Collection of Survey Forms

The target group of the first survey was retailers operating within Shizuoka City primarily comprising supermarkets but also including clothing stores, drug stores, large-scale home appliance retailers, neighborhood stores, 100 yen shops, and convenience stores, totaling 7 types in all.

Shizuoka City comprises 3 wards: Aoi Ward, Suruga Ward, and Shimizu Ward. The survey target group was selected in order that there was an even dispersion over the 3 wards. One store was selected per chain because the policies of chain stores are generally set by the headquarters. Survey forms were distributed and collected by directly visiting each retailer and handing the survey form to the store manager, followed by collection at a later date. For retailers in distant places that could not be visited, phone calls were made to explain the purpose of the survey, and once approval was gained, survey forms were mailed, filled out by the respondents, and returned via mail.

Details of selection of the survey target group and distribution and collection of survey forms are presented in Table 1. Of these, 19 supermarkets and the 30 other retailers responded by September 30, while the other 18 supermarkets responded after October 1, the date from which a number of businesses commenced charging. In the analysis of findings of the questionnaire survey, the six business types other than supermarkets were classified as “other retailers”, and data was collated and analyzed for the two categories of “supermarkets” and “other retailers”.

In the second survey, 12 supermarkets that introduced charging after the first survey were selected as the target group. Questionnaire survey forms were handed to store managers via direct visits to their stores, and replies were faxed back at a later date (14 supermarkets introduced charging after the first survey but of these, 2 stores had already ceased business).

Fig. 1 Changes over time in quantities of PSBs distributed.

Fig. 2 Reasons why PSBs usage is declining.

3. Survey Findings

3.1 Changes over Time in Quantities of PSBs Distributed, and Reasons for This Change

The 37 supermarkets and 30 other retailers were asked about changes in PSBs usage (quantity distributed) over time. As indicated in Fig. 1, 46% of supermarkets responded that there was no change, 43% reported a decline, 5% said that there was an increase, and 5% were unknown. Among other retailers, 43% answered that there was no change, 30% reported a decline, 20% were unknown, and 7% said that there was an increase. The proportion of stores responding that the distribution quantity was declining was higher for supermarkets. In particular, 42% of supermarkets that were not charging for bags reported declining usage, and this is proof that awareness of reducing usage of PSBs is penetrating among consumers. Of the two supermarkets already charging for PSBs, one store reported no change and one reported a decline.

Stores that reported declines in the distribution quantity of PSBs over time (16 supermarkets and 9 other retailers) were asked about the concrete reasons for this trend (multiple answers allowed). As indicated in Fig. 2, 88% of supermarkets reported that the decline was due to an increase in shoppers bringing

their own reusable bags, 6% reported that the decline was the result of efforts to reduce usage of PSBs, and 19% gave other reasons. Among these other reasons, two stores cited a decline in sales and one store reported that provision of appropriately sized bags led to a decline. Among other retailers, 56% reported that the decline was the result of efforts to reduce usage of PSBs, 56% reported an increase in shoppers bringing their own reusable bags, and 22% gave other reasons: one store reported that more customers did not refuse placing hot and cold products together in the same bag, and one store reported an increased number of customers not requesting PSBs.

In addition to the above, stores where usage of PSBs was increasing over time (three supermarkets and three other retailers) were asked about the concrete reasons for this. For both the supermarkets and other retailers, two stores reported that sales had increased and one store said that the number of customers requesting PSBs had increased.

3.2 Privileges for Shoppers Bringing Their Own Reusable Bags

A question was asked regarding the existence of privileges for customers who brought their own reusable bags. As indicated in Fig. 3, 57% of the 37 supermarkets surveyed offered privileges, while 43% did not. Among other retailers, 20% of the 30 stores offered privileges, while 80% did not. The tendency at supermarkets was to extend privileges, and this is believed to be an effort to promote reduced usage of PSBs. Other retailers have a negative stance, and this was reflected in the lack of privilege systems.

Supermarkets offered privileges in the form of stamps at 33% of stores, point cards at 57% of stores, and discounts at 10% of stores. At other retailers, 17% employed a stamp format, 67% a point card format, and 17% another system. This system involved small gifts offered over a limited period. The point card format was most common for supermarkets and other retailers.

Fig. 3 Existence of privileges for shoppers who bring .

Fig. 4 Agreement/disagreement to charging for PSBs.

and the intent of their headquarters was not clear. Of the 13% that were opposed, a reason cited was that the customers’ situation was different from that of supermarkets in that almost all were customers with no premeditated shopping plans who were not carrying their own reusable bags (according to a certain convenience store manager). A χ2 test indicated that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) for agreement/disagreement to charging between supermarkets and other retailers.

3.4 Attitudes towards Introducing Charging for PSBs

Stores that answered that their PSBs were‘free-of-charge’ (35 supermarkets and 30 other retailers) were asked whether they were for or against the introduction of charging for PSBs. As indicated in Fig. 5, compared with the approximately 2/3 of supermarkets that said that they wanted to introduce charging, approximately 2/3 of other retailers conversely answered that they were not considering introduction, and the findings for these two types of respondents were thus contrasting. Overall, charging is agreed to, but when viewed in detail there are numerous retailers lacking the confidence to decide to actively charge at their own store and who cannot avoid being hesitant. A χ2 test revealed a significant difference (p < 0.01) between supermarkets and other retailers with regard to whether they were for or against introducing charging.

Analyzing the above findings in more detail, of the 27 supermarkets agreeing to charging for PSBs and that were distributing them free-of-charge at the time of the first survey (refer to Section 3.3), 19 stores wanted to introduce charging, four stores had no plans to introduce charging, and four stores gave other reasons. Among these other reasons, three stores answered that it depended on the actions of other stores, and one store said that it could not take the plunge considering the operation of the business. Even if charging for PSBs was agreed to, 30% said that they could not easily make the decision to charge when it came down to their individual store. Even though the overall view was agreement, for individual cases respondents had no choice but to be hesitant. The one supermarket that was opposed to charging was considering introducing charging. In addition, of the 11 other retailers that agreed to charging for PSBs, eight stores said that they had no plans to introduce charging for PSBs, and no stores (zero) were planning to introduce charging. Of the five other retailers that opposed charging for PSBs, four stores said that they had no plans to introduce charging for PSBs, while one store wanted to introduce charging.

3.5 Assumed Price of PSBs upon Introduction of Charging

Stores that planned to introduce charging for PSBs in the future (23 supermarkets, 2 other retailers) were asked at what price they intended to sell PSBs when charging was introduced. As indicated in Fig. 6, 83% of supermarkets answered 5 yen, 4% 10 yen, and 13%“others”. Among other responses, one store responded that pricing was yet to be set, one store gave a price of 3-10 yen depending on size, and one store responded that headquarters would decide. The two other retailers had not yet made a concrete decision. Among the two supermarkets that had already started charging for PSBs, one charged five yen and one charged 10 yen. If the rate of exchange is 80 yen for one dollar, 5-10 yen is equivalent to ca. 6-12 cents.

Fig. 5 Attitude towards introducing charging for PSBs.

3.6 Prediction of Customer Numbers on Charging for PSBs

The 37 supermarkets and 30 other retailer stores were asked whether they predicted a rise or decline in customer numbers after introducing charging for PSBs. As indicated in Fig. 7, 51% of supermarkets thought that there would be a slight decline, 27% thought that there would be no effect, 11% thought that there would be a decline, and 11% gave other responses. Among these responses, two stores said that they were unknown and two stores believed that they would see a slight decline in customers if competing stores did not charge for bags. Among other retailers, 57% anticipated a slight decline, 30% believed that there would be no effect, and 13% predicted a decline. These results essentially reflected the findings for supermarkets. When those stores predicting declines or slight declines were combined, 62% of supermarkets and 70% of other retailers sensed that their businesses would be affected. With this concern about declining sales, they therefore possessed a negative stance towards charging. Of the two supermarkets that had already introduced charging for PSBs, one store reported a slight decline, while one said it was unaffected.

Fig. 6 Assumed price of PSBs upon introduction of charging.

Fig. 7 Prediction of customer numbers on charging for PSBs.

Fig. 8 Prediction of waste reduction on charging for PSBs.

3.7 Prediction of Waste Reduction on Charging for PSBs

The 37 supermarkets and 30 other retailers were asked whether they predicted a reduction in waste on account of charging for PSBs. As indicated in Fig. 8, 57% of supermarkets thought there would be a slight reduction, 24% thought that there would be a reduction, 11% believed there would be no reduction, 5% were unknown, and 3% gave another response. Of other retailers, 30% thought that there would be a reduction, 53% thought there would be a slight reduction, 10% believed there would be no reduction, and 7% were 57% of supermarkets thought there would be a slight reduction, 24% thought that there would be a reduction, 11% believed there would be no reduction, 5% were unknown, and 3% gave another response. Of other retailers, 30% thought that there would be a reduction, 53% thought there would be a slight reduction, 10% believed there would be no reduction, and 7% were unknown. While both supermarkets and other retailers possessed a common recognition of “reduction”, they did not predict a significant reduction.

Fig. 9 Issues when charging for PSBs.

3.8 Issues When Charging for PSBs

The 37 supermarkets and 30 other retailer stores were asked about issues emerging due to charging for PSBs (multiple answers allowed). The findings are indicated in Fig. 9. For supermarkets, 68% said that cooperation between consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies was required; 41% answered that enacting appropriate laws and ordinances was required; 41% said that they would be at a competitive disadvantage to other stores; 27% said that they could not gain the understanding of consumers; 16% answered that a change in retailer attitudes was required; and 8% gave other responses. Among these other responses, one store responded that it was already implementing charging so therefore there were no issues, one store cited the competitive disadvantage to convenience stores, and one store cited the fact that charging for PSBs could become a promotional tool for the store and be viewed as a service. At other retailers, 57% said that cooperation between consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies was required; 40% said that they would be at a competitive disadvantage to other stores; 37% answered that enacting appropriate laws and ordinances was required; 30% said that they could not gain the understanding of consumers; and 13% reported that a change in retailer attitudes was required. Many supermarkets and other retailers were concerned about gaining the understanding of customers when deciding to independently start charging, they feared that they would be at a competitive disadvantage, they mentioned enacting laws and ordinances, and they were hoping that consumers, governmental agencies and businesses would cooperate to introduce blanket charging.

Of the two supermarkets already charging for PSBs, one store said that cooperation between consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies was required and one store gave another response: they were already charging for PSBs so therefore there were no issues.

3.9 Difference in Attitudes of Large- and Small-Scale Supermarkets

Among the retailers surveyed, we focused particularly on supermarkets. Based on the Shizuoka Company Directory 2010 [6], supermarkets capitalized at 10 million yen or more and with 30 or more employees were classified as large-scale supermarkets, while those smaller than this were classified as small-scale supermarkets. We analyzed whether there were differences in attitudes towards charging for PSBs between the two. Of the 37 supermarkets, 17 were small-scale supermarkets and 20 were large-scale supermarkets.

Of small-scale supermarkets, 82% agreed to charging for PSBs, 6% were opposed, and 12% were unknown. Of large-scale supermarkets, 75% agreed, none (zero) were opposed, 20% were unknown, and 5% gave another response: they would agree if all stores introduced charging simultaneously. At the time of the first survey, when 16 out of the 17 small-scale supermarkets offered PSBs free-of-charge, of the 16 small-supermarkets 69% wanted to introduce charging in the future, 25% were not considering introduction, and 6% gave other responses: because the store was privately owned, they planned to monitor the surrounding situation. Of the 20 large-scale supermarkets, 19 offered PSBs free-of-charge, of the 19 small-scale supermarkets 63% wanted to introduce charging in the future, and 5% were not considering introduction. A somewhat higher proportion of small-scale supermarkets agreed to charging and were planning to introduce charging in the future.

With regard to issues raised when charging for PSBs, 71% of small-scale supermarkets cited the requirement for cooperation between consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies, 47% cited being at a competitive disadvantage to other stores, and 41% cited enacting laws and ordinances. For large-scale supermarkets, 65% cited the requirement for cooperation between consumers, businesses, and governmental agencies, 40% cited enacting laws and ordinances, and 40% cited being at a competitive disadvantage to other stores. Although a higher proportion of small-scale supermarkets agreed to charging, the attitude of many stores was that because they would be placed in a disadvantageous position if only their store started charging, they could not make a judgment call for their store alone because of concerns regarding the actions of other stores. The feeling was that they wanted all stores to switch to charging simultaneously through cooperation between consumers, retailers, and governmental agencies and through enacting laws and ordinances. A type of prisoner’s dilemma can be recognized here. According to a questionnaire survey of consumers conducted previously by Shukuya, et al. [7], if stores that charge for PSBs exist side-by-side with stores that do not charge, 12% of consumers answered that they would go to the stores that did not charge. For small-scale supermarkets in particular, there is a danger that a 12% contraction in customer numbers would place pressure on management, and this suggests that stores keep a sensitive eye on competing stores and watch to see what customer trends emerge when charging for PSBs.

3.10 Status of Supermarkets That Introduced Charging after the First Survey

After the first survey (August to October, 2008), 14 supermarkets concluded a pact with Shizuoka City and the 4R Promotion Committee and made the decision to start charging for PSBs. Questionnaire surveys were conducted once again for these stores, and responses were obtained from 12 stores, with the two other stores having ceased operations. Of these 12 stores, 10 were large-scale supermarkets and two were small-scale supermarkets. It is evident that small-scale supermarkets were against charging for PSBs relative to large-scale supermarkets (at the time of the first survey, 19 large-scale supermarkets and 16 small-scale supermarkets were not charging). Reasons for commencing charging were approaches from Shizuoka City in the case of six stores, an independent decision on the part of the company in the case of five stores, and conforming to trends at other neighboring stores in the case of one store. It is evident that the requests of Shizuoka City were a major factor. Charges per bag were 5 yen at 11 stores and 3 yen at one store; a price of 5 yen/bag was overwhelmingly dominant.

Regarding usage as trash bags certified by Shizuoka City, six stores reports that usage as trash bags had previously been possible and remained so after charging, five stores answered that usage was no longer possible after introducing charging, and one store reported that usage was not possible prior to charging. Reasons at stores where usage as city-certified trash bags was possible included the fact that there were many elderly customers who used the PSBs as trash bags.

A field for entering the ratio of customers bringing their own reusable bags was included in the questionnaire survey forms for both the first and second surveys, and these were duly filled out. It was found that after charging was introduced, the ratio was 75%-90% compared with 1%-30% prior to charging, thus indicating a sharp increase. According to the website of the Shizuoka City Hall, the average ratio of bringing reusable bags to supermarkets that charged for PSBs in fiscal 2009 was 82.5% (October) to 83.7%(May, June). Two stores extended privileges to customers who brought their own reusable bags prior to charging, and they continued to do so after charging was introduced; eight stores ceased offering privileges once charging was started; and two stores had no privileges even before charging. The proportion of stores that did away with privileges after introducing charging was 67%.

To the question of whether customer numbers changed on account of charging, nine stores reported no change and three stores were unknown. This showed that even for stores that answered in the first survey that they expected customer numbers would decline, the decline was not necessarily to the extent expected.

Regarding issues when charging was initially introduced, 10 stores said that there were some issues while two reported no issues, indicating that more than 80% of stores experiences some type of issue. The most common issues were customers stating that such-and-such a store offered free PSBs, PSBs were a type of service, stores were perhaps obtaining profits from charging, and shoppers only became aware of charging when they were paying at the cashier. While some issues did arise, these did not develop into major trouble. In the free comments section of the questionnaire survey, respondents raised issues such as the difficulty of making doubting customers understand that PSBs were not a revenue generator and whether charging for PSBs was really contributing to waste reduction. Modes of returning the profits from charging for PSBs includes donation to UNICEF, donation of goods to neighboring elementary schools with the objective of environmental education, projects to protect forests in water catchments, and support for the NPO Stop Global Warming Campaign in Shizuoka.

4. Observation

In this survey, the attitudes of retailers in Shizuoka City regarding charging for PSBs were investigated in two questionnaire surveys. Our findings are summarized below:

(1) Attitudes towards charging for PSBs

In the first survey, 78% of supermarkets agreed to charging for PSBs, whereas only 37% of other retailers agreed, representing a major contrast. On the other hand, 66% of supermarkets wanted to introduce charging for PSBs, while only 7% of other retailers did; 14% of supermarkets were not considering introducing charging for PSBs while 63% of other retailers were not considering doing so. Here, the gap was even greater. The reason lies in the different clientele: Customers who visit supermarkets do so with the objective from the start of shopping for food, and therefore, in many cases, they come prepared with their own reusable bags. On the contrary, shoppers visiting other retailers such as convenience stores often just drop in without any clear objective, and this is strongly related with the trend to consider as troublesome constantly carrying around reusable bags.

A total of eight supermarkets charged for PSBs including two that already did so prior to the first survey and six others that formed a pact with the 4R Promotion Committee and Shizuoka City and started charging for PSBs from October 1, 2008. Of these, one store charged 10 yen, one store charged 3 yen for small PSBs and 5 yen for large ones, and the remaining six stores charged 5 yen.

(2) Reduction in quantity of PSBs distributed

The first survey looked at changes over time in the quantity of PSBs distributed: 43% of supermarkets and 30% of other retailers reported declines, 88% of supermarkets and 56% of other retailers cited the reason for this trend as being an increase in the proportion of shoppers bringing their own reusable bags.

Stores were also making efforts to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags. One of such means is the privilege system whereby, for example, point cards leading to actual discounts is extended to customers who decline PSBs. 57% of supermarkets and 20% of other retailers answered that they offered privileges, with the proportion of supermarkets thus being higher. However, eight of the 12 supermarkets that introduced charging for PSBs after October 1, 2008 scrapped their privilege systems. The main reason was that more than 80% of customers were bringing their own reusable bags and the initial objective had been achieved.

(3) Issues when charging

In the first survey, small-scale retailers, in particular, faced the dilemma of keeping an eye on other stores and not being able to make the move to charging on their own until others had. Many stores were of the opinion that they would not be able to obtain the understanding of consumers if they went ahead and started charging for PSBs independently and feared they would be put at a disadvantage with competitors. They viewed enactment of laws and ordinances, cooperation between consumers, industry and governmental agencies, and blanket introduction of charging at all stores as being desirable. In the second survey, however, the majority of the 12 supermarkets that subsequently started charging reported no decrease in customer numbers after charging was introduced and no major issues with the transition to charging. This is thought to be a reflection of consumers’ heightened environmental awareness.

Small-scale retailers in Shizuoka City also have no choice but to be sensitive towards decline in customer numbers, and under these circumstances it is difficult for them to make the decision to start charging for PSBs. However, in a questionnaire survey directed at consumers carried out separately by the authors, only 16% of consumers were opposed to be charging for PSBs [7]. From this finding too, it is thought that consumers will accept charging without major resistance.

Reducing PSB usage is a type of local-solidarity initiative to reduce generation of waste, and approaching this through the cooperation of consumers, governmental agencies, and businesses is important. Some hope that in the future, other types of containers and packaging will come under similar scrutiny and that this will develop into activities that consumers can participate in on a wide scale [8]. In addition, while cooperation between consumers, governmental agencies, and businesses is important, retailers should not limit their efforts to PSBs alone but should also direct their wisdom and energy into strategies to reduce overall waste through each store’s unique innovations. For example, they should not only look at reducing usage of PSBs, but should also look at eliminating over packaging, selling things loose or by weight in unpackaged form, voluntarily avoiding packaging materials such as colored trays that cannot be recycled, and otherwise actively promoting elimination of waste.

5. Conclusions

In this study, it conducted questionnaire surveys targeting retailers operating in Shizuoka City. The findings enabled us to gain an understanding of what retailers actually think with regards to charging for plastic shopping bags. Even if charging was agreed to, many individual stores hesitated to introduce charging, and when analyzing small-scale supermarkets and large-scale supermarkets separately, the gap became even more distinct. However, supermarkets that did charge reported that while there were some issues initially, the transition to charging was relatively smooth and no fall-off in customer number was apparent, and the ratio of customers bringing their own reusable bags increased dramatically.

This study only considered the attitudes of retailers, but it did become apparent from the findings that the role that should be carried out by governmental agencies is major. Moving forward, efforts by government agencies to promote charging at retailers, while at the same time repeatedly explaining to consumers the necessity and significance of charging and gaining their understanding, is considered necessary.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to sincerely thank all of the retailers in Shizuoka who participated in this questionnaire survey.

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