YANGON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- While climate action is high on the global agenda, some Myanmar businesses are taking a practical approach at home by reusing glass bottles to reduce plastic waste and make better use of existing resources.
For Pyae Sone Win Naing, owner of Sein Baydar glass bottle shop in Yangon, used bottles are far from waste. After being collected, cleaned and sorted, they can be sold to manufacturers at a fraction of the price of new ones.
His shop was among several glass bottle traders and reusable packaging suppliers displaying their products at a seminar and exhibition in Yangon on Thursday, which was organized by environmental organization Thant Myanmar and the Myanmar Sustainable Business Network.
The event brought together local businesses to explore more affordable packaging options for the food and beverage sector, particularly for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises struggling with rising costs and difficulties importing materials.
The price difference is significant, Pyae Sone Win Naing said. "New bottles can cost between 2,000 and 3,000 kyats (about 0.9 to 1.4 U.S. dollars), while reused ones are available for around 200 to 800 kyats, depending on their size and type," he said.
Tin Mar Lar Thein, founder of Sweetie Home Food Production, which makes fermented drinks such as ginger ale and kombucha, also relies on glass bottles for her products.
"As an environmentalist myself, I prefer reuse. That is why we mainly use glass bottles for my products. In the long run, glass bottles are a better option for sustainability," she said.
However, using returned bottles is not without challenges. They must be thoroughly washed and sterilized to meet food safety standards, while transportation and handling add to business costs, she added.
Beyond reducing waste, cutting plastic use can also help address climate change, said Nwe Ni Win, research and development program manager at Thant Myanmar.
She explained that plastic production depends heavily on petroleum and natural gas, and extracting and processing these resources contributes to environmental damage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Her comments come as the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which is being held in Antalya, Türkiye, from Nov. 9 to 20, draws attention to the need for practical measures to reduce emissions and promote sustainable production and consumption.
Nwe Ni Win said Thant Myanmar was promoting reusable packaging, including glass bottle reuse, through awareness campaigns and other initiatives to reduce plastic bottle consumption and tackle pollution at its source by cutting demand for plastic and the fossil fuels used to produce it.
"By reducing plastic use, we can reduce the need to extract new raw materials from the environment and prevent carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere in the first place. This is a form of reduction at the source. Rather than trying to remedy the damage after emissions have occurred, we are taking preventive action to stop carbon emissions before they happen," she said.
She said wider adoption of glass bottle reuse could also benefit local communities by reducing waste and creating jobs.
"Reusing glass bottles can help reduce waste in local communities while creating more employment opportunities for people involved in collection, cleaning and distribution," she added. ■
