Eco Group Calls on E-Commerce Companies to Lessen Plastic Waste

To mark the celebration of the World Environment Day, the pollution watchdog EcoWaste Coalition calls on giant companies Lazada and Shopee to do their part for the environment by cutting back on the use of disposable plastic materials for their packaging and deliveries. 

“Lazada and Shopee will again hold a mid-year grand sale starting June 6 which will add to more packaging and plastic waste being burned or dumped into our environment. We urge these companies to implement a genuine plastic use reduction scheme and to support their sellers and logistic providers to implement similar measures,” said Coleen Salamat, Plastic Solutions Campaigner of EcoWaste Coalition.

The rapid growth of e-commerce was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the sector is valued at Php 1.2 trillion which is equivalent to 5.5 percent of the country’s economy in 2022.

However, the eco-group laments that plastic waste generated from e-commerce packaging add an additional and unnecessary burden to cities and communities that are already having a hard time coping with increased solid waste brought by the pandemic. 

“Lazada and Shopee should be responsible for the waste that they help create and support global efforts to save our climate and environment. Cutting back on their plastic waste should be a very simple step for these multi-million companies. Let us stop sacrificing our environment for profit,” said Salamat.

Last October 2021, more than 15,000 individuals signed a petition by Youth Strike for Climate Philippines and Greenpeace demanding Lazada and Shopee to reduce unnecessary plastics such as bubble wraps, and multi-layer plastics used in packages and deliveries.