I vividly remember when a friend pulled out a ziploc-bag full of clear disposable straws from his backpack during lunch at UTown Foodclique more than two years ago. By that time, the canteens and food courts of NUS have phased out the use of plastic straws in the name of going green. However, like many coffee conglomerates and fast-food chains that have sworn to become more environmentally conscious, beverages that are meant to be consumed in-house continue to be served in disposable cups. I remember shaking my head and laughing in incredulity as I watched my friend carefully extract a straw from the ziploc-bag to place it in his milo-peng. In response, he jumped to defend himself, citing the logistical nightmare if he were to use a metal straw — of having to wash it and having to then find ways to air-dry it while out and about. Readers, please recall that this was a time when the gifting of metal straws by friends and family or even corporations and the school was all the rage.
The terrifying truth
By not jumping on the metal straws bandwagon back then, my friend was perhaps onto something. Contrary to popular belief, new research funded by the University of Manchester and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council suggest that reusable food containers are not necessarily more environmentally-friendly than their single-use counterparts. Based on the life cycle assessment of various types of food containers, it was found that a reusable container would have to be reused many times (ranging from 16 to a whopping 208 times depending on its material) for its environmental impact to be equivalent to that of a single-use Styrofoam container. In a similar vein, a study conducted by NTU found that in Singapore’s context (where incineration is part of the waste management structure), multi-use cotton bags have a greater environmental footprint than single-use plastic bags. Another research published by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has even shown that cotton tote bags have to be reused at least 150 times to offset the environmental cost of producing them. This thereby brings into question the movement to replace single-use items, such as plastic straws and plastic bags, with reusable alternatives, like metal straws and tote bags, in a bid to practice environmental sustainability. With the barrage of such reusables being doled out to us as free gifts or in student welfare packs, the sad truth is that we often do not utilise these items to the point where the environmental impact of producing them is negated. As Teng Chu Yu (FASS, Year 4), former president of NUS Vision of Equality for a Greener Earth (VEGE), acknowledges, “[The transition to reusables is] a good start but may often be more resource-intensive than handing out single-use items.”
Money motivates many
Surely, these large corporations are aware of the ambiguous effect these so-called ‘green initiatives’ have on the environment, but why do they continue to carry them out? The answer is clear — branding and Public Relations (PR) purposes. This is especially so in today’s context whereby an increasing number of consumers are aiming to become responsible global citizens and thus, expect corporations to do their part too. The emergence of “conscious shoppers” meant that in 2020, 60 per cent of respondents globally were reported to have made environmentally-driven decisions when making their purchases. Thus, many F&B corporations make declarations and bold commitments to phase out the use of disposable plastic straws that serve as both good PR and cost-saving opportunities. Similarly, for organisations that give out reusables to their customers, many of them are driven by the need to signal to consumers that their operations are environmentally sound. This inclination of profit-driven companies to channel their resources to marketing efforts rather than looking into more substantial ways to improve (such as adopting more sustainable packaging materials or using ethically sourced ingredients) is understandable but not excusable. “[The practice of giving away metal straws and tote bags] sends a clear signal that the companies have not done their due diligence in trying to reach their sustainability goals,” says Ang Li Shan (Business Administration, Year 3), former Green Audit director of NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth (SAVE). She adds, “It’s highly irresponsible and a very perfunctory way of fulfilling ‘sustainability’ initiatives.”
Indeed, many corporations seem to be paying lip service to becoming greener. Some have even gone one step further to carry out “greenwashing”. In other words, these companies make unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims on their environmental credentials which thereby misinform consumers. For instance, Starbucks introduced a ‘strawless lid’ in 2018 to eliminate the use of plastic straws. Many environmental groups pointed out the irony — this lid design required the use of more plastic than the older lid design and straw combined. In response to the flak received, Starbucks highlighted that unlike single-use straws, the new lids are recyclable, thereby conveniently overlooking the fact that only nine per cent of the world’s plastic is recycled. In the case of Singapore, products that are marketed as biodegradable also lead consumers to think that purchasing these products will allow them to go green. In actual fact, biodegradable trash will have to be buried in landfills or composted at home in order to realise its full potential. In Singapore, where all waste is incinerated, biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastics are thus not as environmentally friendly as one might be led to think. In addition, biodegradable products may incur a higher carbon footprint to produce, when compared to conventional plastics.
Fine first steps
Based on the discussion thus far, it may seem that the onus is on businesses to initiate and implement sustainable practices. However, both Teng and Ang expressed similar sentiments on the important role of consumers and emphasised that easy everyday habits on our part can go a long way.
With the higher frequencies of buying food takeaways in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, the student-activists who were interviewed bring their own reusable containers and tumblers to dabao and urge others to do the same. Dorcas Tang (Architecture, Year 1), environmental activist and artist, suggested that we place these reusables in a conspicuous place in our residences such that we will remember to bring them with us whenever we leave the house. As for the ordering of food deliveries whereby the use of single-use food containers is the norm, customers can make it a habit to opt out of receiving cutleries.
When we as consumers are more sustainable in our consumption patterns, we are also able to incite behavioural changes in businesses. “The act of [Bringing Your Own] sends messages to businesses and influences other consumers that customers are interested in environmental sustainability. In turn, this promotes conversations,” explains Ang. In fact, based on her experience as project director at Project bECOme — a youth environmental advocacy group that focuses on reducing single-use waste — businesses were only willing to make efforts to reduce packaging waste when they observed that consumers were willing and receptive to the idea. Like what was suggested by the age-old mantra “Customer is King”, it seems that voting with our dollar is the way to go.
For those of us who have accumulated many of such reusables at home, the best way forward would be to refuse any future offers of more of these items and to utilise whatever we own to their fullest potential. This could mean using them more often or passing them to someone who we think will benefit from them. For instance, as part of NUS SAVE’s Reusable Bag Library initiative, the NUS community can drop off their spare bags at designated spots around the campus for others to borrow and use them.
As for consumers who are committed to doing more for the environment, Teng suggests experimenting with more plant-based food options or joining communities that make environmental policy recommendations to the government.
At the end of our interview, Ang shared a quote by zero-waste chef, Anne-Marie Bonneau — “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” Yes, it seems that every little bit counts and compounds. I should perhaps dust off my three-piece metal straw set and start sucking up the pearls of my bubble tea with them again.