Some timid but lengthy overdue steps at the moment are being taken in the path of reducing Thailand’s plastic waste. Baby steps to begin out with but there isn’t a doubt that the problem has now entered the Thai national psyche. In response, thus far, Thai businesses have, for the most part, made only cursory PR efforts at tackling the larger problem but, once more, it’s a begin.
Take, for instance, a large Thai shopping centre chain proudly asserting that it will ‘ask’ clients once a month if they actually desire a plastic bag for his or her shopping. Useless. Meanwhile the plastic baggage proceed to stroll out of their retailers by the millions every month (including on the ONE day) and find yourself as single-use plastic luggage filling up the restricted land-fills or swishing around the surrounding seas. Their ‘alternative’ is to promote expensive canvas bags to shoppers, for 200-400 baht.
The government in the meantime is dithering with the problem of plastic waste, with no concrete legal guidelines or solutions that will have any long-term impression. Even with Treasure and present hazard of air air pollution in many areas, together with the capital, there has been finger-pointing and head-shaking but no useful campaigns or changes of legal guidelines that can have a helpful or sustainable affect on enhancing Thailand’s air high quality.
But how do you modify a generation’s mindset? How do you cease one million folks a day buying espresso and drinks in a plastic cup, with a plastic lid, inside a plastic carry bag, and a plastic straw?
Around the world, research reveals that worry or shock ways, or strategies primarily based on shame, guilt and unfavorable wording, are usually ineffective and might even end up having the reverse impact.
“Say NO” and worry campaigns are solely effective supplied that the audience is already taking constructive steps towards the specified behavioural change. In Thailand that might be a long way from the current state of affairs.
Campaigns not only need to elucidate the difficulty, but additionally provide easy recommendation on what do to about it. Saying ‘NO’ does nothing to empower people with the reasons to vary and the options available. There is a litany of failed ‘Say No’ campaigns for issues as diverse as illicit drugs, smoking, ache killers and plastic bags around the world.
Take for example the “Hey Tosser!”, run by the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority in Australia back in 2015. The campaign was based on naming and shaming, largely ineffective in a western culture and doomed to failure in a culture like Thailand where saving ‘face’ is paramount.
Encouraging the public to shame “tossers” (a play on words in Australia the place ‘tosser’ is a derogatory nickname as nicely as a description of what they are doing with their garbage), creates an unhelpful stereotype that doesn’t really exist – folks don’t see themselves as the problem.
Author and social behaviour change expert Les Robinson suggests that quite than attempt to scare or disgrace people into altering habits, it’s extra helpful to create a optimistic buzz across the change – create new behaviours that are straightforward to undertake and maintain, foster supportive actions, teams and alternate options that change habits, inform and entertain.
So if we want to tackle littering and cut back plastic bag use we must always make folks really feel that they’re part of an inclusive motion that’s supported by their peers, community and authorities. And it needs to be relevant to their lives.
Is it sustainable? Is it do-able? Is there an affordable alternative? If not, then telling individuals NOT to do something (like utilizing less plastic bags) is a waste of time and easily alienates them from the trigger.
The CP group (the house owners of Thailand’s 7-Eleven chain) say they’ve the (rather optimistic) plan of getting rid of plastic bag use inside ten years.
The marketing campaign has been supported by Artiwara “Toon” Kongmalai, the lead singer of Bodyslam and marathon runner, who ran from Thailand’s south to north in a large fund-raiser final yr. Massively popular in Thailand as a task model, singer, superstar and runner, Toon has been a big a part of elevating the consciousness of this campaign within the Thai community. But the plastic bags politely refused by willing clients are nonetheless a tiny fraction of Thailand’s complete plastic bag drawback.
Tesco Lotus, too, jumped on the feel-good PR bandwagon and announced it will replace handing out plastic baggage, for at some point in November last yr. Just at some point with no plans or announcements to address the chain’s ongoing contribution to Thailand’s plastic bag downside.
Thailand’s plastic bag problem, a big drawback indeed, wants solutions from the top, down. At this time those messages aren’t coming from the highest however from the ground up – a fragmented group of people and well-meaning associations which may be riding a wave of concern for the problem and, in many cases, pushing their very own cause..