Sustainable Food Packaging Innovations: From Lawson’s Paper Chopstick Bags to the Wider Convenience Store Industry’s Eco-Friendly Shift.

by | Apr 6, 2024 | INNOVATION, RETAIL

Lawson is switching to paper bags for the chopsticks provided in its stores. The initiative will start in about 5,400 stores in the Kanto and Tohoku regions from April, with plans to extend it to all Lawson stores nationwide by the fiscal year 2025. The company has previously changed the material of disposable chopsticks from wood to bamboo and switched some product containers to paper. By revising the chopstick bags to paper, Lawson aims to reduce plastic usage.
 
This change to paper chopstick bags is a first among major convenience store chains in Japan. The current plastic chopstick bags will be phased out as stock runs out.
 
The initiative will start in stores in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, with plans to expand nationwide based on customer feedback. According to Lawson, switching to paper chopstick bags nationwide could reduce plastic usage by approximately 100 tons per year.
 
Since June 2016, Lawson has gradually changed the material of disposable chopsticks from wood to bamboo, which has a faster resource cycle. The company has replaced some product containers with paper materials and introduced spoons and forks with holes in 2022 to reduce plastic usage. From October 2023, toothpick inclusion was discontinued. Sustainable initiatives are of high interest, especially among younger generations, and the company is progressing with switching to environmentally friendly materials.
 
In moves toward decarbonization, FamilyMart started charging for plastic spoons and straws provided in stores from late January 2024. This initiative began in about 100 directly managed stores in the metropolitan area. Including Seven-Eleven Japan, which offers spoons and forks made with 30% biomass plastic, the competition for innovative solutions among companies is expected to continue.

 

 

Source: Lawson press release 29th March 2024

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