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Muji is a retailer where customers can get everything from food to stationery to curry. It's quite popular for offering "minimalist" no-logo (the store's full name, Mujirushi Ryouhin, translates to "no logo goods" in Japanese) and even generic goods, both in Japan and around the world.
In a move to be more convenient and perhaps "retro", Muji will now be selling 28 types of sweets such as cookies, marshmallows, chocolates, rice crackers, etc. by weight. However, each item will come in individual plastic wrapping.
The announcement to sell snacks individually (1 gram for 4 yen, with a minimum of 20 grams) for portion control and convenience has gotten a positive response, but the announcement comes on the heels of attention being called to excess plastic waste in Japan, highlighted by Change.org petition (18,979 signatures) organized by a 16-year old student calling for major Japanese snack companies to stop individually wrapping their goods as a call to protect the environment.
While the petition gained a lot of support, the student also received backlash, with many citing the convenience of individual plastic packaging in terms of Japan's strong culture of buying souvenirs for co-workers and family when making a trip, as well as being more hygienic. Rather, individually packaged goods are thought of as considerate.
Last year, the Associated Press reported that while Japan aimed to make bans on single-use plastics and efforts to limit plastic waste a major point at the 2019 G-20 summit, legislation, enforcement, and timing were still looked at with skepticism.
The snacks sold by weight system will be implemented at 55 Muji shops across Japan starting Sept 16.
Read more stories from grape Japan.
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-- “Beyoncé of Japan” comedian, actress & fashion designer Naomi Watanabe gets her own figurine
- External Link
- https://grapee.jp/en/
11 Comments
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kurisupisu
If the majority of Japanese could see the vast amounts of plastic in the sea everyday, then they might be willing to forego ‘convenience’ a little....
Politik Kills
Individually wrapped candy?! Why on earth, in this age of consumerism hammering nails into the coffin of civilisation, and plastics choking the life out of the seas, seas that Japan indeed relies on enormously, does Japan insist on throwing plastic around at every opportunity?! Individually wrapped fruit, vegetables and now candy!! I love Muji, but I’m tempted to boycott them and tell as many people as I can why I’m boycotting them.
Kushiro
No good.
Can Japan end its love affair with plastic?
robert maes
I already bought next to nothing at this retailer but it will be completely nothing as from today.
if they would do this anywhere else but in Japan they would loose most of their clients but here it seems people love and eat plastic with a total disregard for the environment
Brian Wheway
More blinking plastic, when will these companies realise we don't need nor does the planet eco system. For goodness sake please stop!!
i@n
Last time I read a news about muji it's about them selling reusable water bottles to lessen use of disposable ones.
It just underscores this huge step backwards.
Why?
Pukey2
For a brand which is supposed to be brand-less and plain, their things sure are expensive.
Eni
This will just goes around. It may not hurt Japan at sea, since Japan doesn't dump or has any plastic problem at thier nearest oceans (I might be wrong), but burning it is toxic.