SINGAPORE: Online shopping is tricky for someone as eco-conscious as Jian Ai, who works in Shanghai. Like millions of her peers across the country doing their year-end holiday shopping online, the 30-year-old turns to popular sites like Taobao for the best gifts, clothes and accessories. She goes the extra mile by looking to buy from environmentally responsible sellers offering biodegradable packaging but the sustainable option isn’t always the easiest, she says, especially when there are “very few eco-friendly” sellers on most Chinese e-commerce platforms.
And even with good intentions, many do not respond when she reaches out with suggestions to reduce plastic packaging. "I want to use less plastic so if I have the choice, I opt for the simplest packaging to reduce waste," the user interface (UI) app and website designer told CNA. "But a lot of shops tend to overpack or use a lot of cushioning materials.
" She has chosen to buy from a Chinese aromatherapy skincare cosmetics brand called Arome Manpo because it uses paper cartons - which break down more easily as compared to plastic - to pack its goods. “Many times we have no other options,” she said. “(And) you don’t really know until you receive the parcel.
” Young consumers like her are increasingly embracing sustainable lifestyles in China as the impacts of climate change continue to worsen . Surveys have shown that Gen Zs, those born between 1995 and 2009, were more willing to pay a premium for greener opti.
