Roundup: Greek market gears up to adjust to single-use plastics ban

9/29/2019 - 11:33:34 AM

The Greek market appears ready to rise to the challenge set by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding a forthcoming ban on all single-use plastics, business representatives told Xinhua on September 27.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York on September 23.

Mitsotakis announced on September 23 from New York, where he was for the UN Climate Action Summit, that single-use plastics will be banned across Greece as of 2021.

Greece has already made some progress in this regard by charging users of plastic carrier bags with an environmental tax over the last couple of years, in compliance with a European Union directive.

This measure reduced single-use plastic bags by an estimated 80 to 85 percent in 2018, compared to the year before, according to a survey by the Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA).

Applying a ban to all types of single-use plastics, such as cups, bottles, straws and other commodities of everyday use may seem more difficult, but it is entirely feasible for Greece, said Iliana Kosta, a product designer of a local manufacturer of bamboo-made biodegradable utensils.

"The Greek market is working very hard to show progress in this respect, and is advancing fast. Local business has made a dynamic entry in environment-friendly products and the Greek society has also matured toward that," Kosta told Xinhua.

"We get so much more interest from various businesses for our plastic-free products, and several other companies like ours have sprung out after we launched our business in 2016," said Kosta, affirming her certainty that the challenge for the ban of single-use plastics can indeed be met within two years.

Athens International Airport (AIA) spokesman Ioakim Tsimbidis told Xinhua that the main Greek airport has proceeded with banning single-use plastics from the employees' food service areas, while the food service companies for passengers have also proceeded to the replacement of single-use plastics with environmentally friendly choices.

Companies are now going out of their way to ensure they reduce the use of plastic, often encouraging each other to do so, according to Tsimbidis.

AIA and food service companies at the terminal "are together examining further action aimed at completely eradicating single-use plastics in the coming years," Tsimbidis said.

Source: NDO

Challenges from population aging

Many countries are grappling with rapidly aging population. As population aging becomes an irreversible global trend with significant impacts on economic and social sectors, nations face the urgent task of creating flexible policies to adapt to and make the most of this trend to build prosperous and sustainable societies.

World tourism industry promotes potential and cohesion

With a series of stimulus measures, the world tourism industry is on the way to recovery as before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Facing the opportunity to take off, the "smokeless industry” is expected to strongly contribute to global economic growth while promoting potential and cohesion, contributing to peace and sustainable development.

Existential danger from COVID-19 pandemic

The danger from the COVID-19 pandemic is still latent, threatening people’s health and lives in the context that the immunity provided from the COVID-19 vaccine has decreased. Many other dangerous diseases are also likely to break out when the global vaccination rate slows down, due to inequality in access to health services, vaccine hesitancy, and consequences of economic recession.

Vietnam among ASEAN countries recording EV sales surge

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is witnessing a rise in the sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, according to Maybank Investment Bank Research (Maybank IB Research).

International friends bid farewell to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

The respect paying ceremony for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong continued on the morning of July 26 at the National Funeral Hall in Hanoi, with high-level delegations from foreign countries and international organisations paying their last respects and expressing deep condolences.

Global outpouring of grief for Vietnamese Party chief

A wave of condolences have poured in from world leaders, international organisations, rulling parties, Communist parties and partner parties following the death of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.