Carrying a cloth shopping bag this summer is not only a fashion statement; it is a sign of rising environmental consciousness.
Since the Chinese government banned free distribution of ultra-thin plastic bags by retail stores in June, the number of plastic bags used at supermarkets in Beijing has dropped about 80 percent, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce.
Last month the government expanded the scope of the regulation to include "wet" (farmer's) markets, restaurants, bookstores and clothing shops.
The regulation of plastic bags is the most recent example of environmental protection in China, where hundreds of polluting factories have been shut down and ecological criteria are being built into the nation's economy.
Prior to the regulation, supermarkets in China used 400,000 tons of plastic bags every year, according to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association. Chinese people used 1 billion plastic bags every day just for grocery shopping, the China Plastics Processing Industry Association reported.
The primary reason for the restrictions on plastic bags is environmental. Plastic particles contaminate soil and water, and bags take at least 200 years to decompose.
The rising price of fuel is another concern. Some 1,300 tons of oil is needed to produce the bags given out by supermarkets every day, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.
The new regulations forced Huaqiang, China's largest plastic bag manufacturer based in Henan province, to close down early this year. It had an annual capacity of 250,000 tons of plastic bags, about half of the nation's supply.
More than half of the 1,000-odd plastics factories in Guangdong province are expected to close, too.
