Demographic Characteristics of Reusable Bag Usage in Japan

Abstract

There are various types of packaging materials including glass, plastic, wood, paper and cardboard, and metal. In recent time, plastic packaging is of global concern due to their single use, increased extraction of fossil resources for production, low recovery for recycling, persistence in the environment and marine pollution. Globally, various 2R (reduce and reuse), command and control, voluntary, educational and economic instruments have been applied to manage plastic packaging. These strategies introduce voluntary and involuntary usage of alternate carrier options such as reusable or eco-friendly bags (also known as eco-bags/my bags). The objective of this study is to grasp the behavior of usage and stock of my bags in Japan. Various factors including usage of plastic bags, age, gender etc. were considered. Based on a web-based questionnaire in mid-march 2018 where 2,900 consumers responded, the results show that the most owned and used bags are reusable plastic based material bags and cotton bags. Eco bag ownership and usage increased with age. However, females owned and used more reusable bags than males. To reduce the environmental burden of eco-bags, the frequency of usage should be improved.