Environment Ministry Announces Award Winners for Handmade Bags

On October 12, 2007, Japan's Ministry of the Environment (MOE) announced that the winners of the Handmade Bag Award have been chosen. The MOE has been encouraging consumers to bring their own shopping bags to stores, aiming to prevent the use and disposal of containers and packaging, including plastic bags. To further promote this campaign, the ministry established an award in fiscal 2007 that invited public contributions, and received 462 applications.

Through a screening process, the MOE selected winners for the grand prize, the excellence prize, and special recognition in four categories: school children (those younger than elementary school age), students (middle and high school students), consumers, and retailers.

The campaign aims to motivate consumers to keep up their efforts to reduce waste generation derived from containers and packaging. By accepting applicants from schools, the MOE expects to help children develop lifestyles with reduced environmental burden.

Among the award-winning works, there were various imaginative and original bags: some reused worn-out jeans or tank tops, others were woven with cords made by ripping plastic bags. There was an example of a school that distributed bags made by the members of the homemaking club to the entire school.

http://www.env.go.jp/en/
- Kobe City, Co-op Cooperate to Reduce Plastic Bag Use (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1659-e

Posted: 2008/02/08 10:17:08 AM
Japanese version