“No Plastic Bag” Campaign of Malaysia

Abstract

Subject Area

Marketing Management, Consumer Behavior.

Study Level

This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc level.

Case Overview

This case highlights the initiative taken by Malaysian government in order to launch and implement “No Plastic Bag” campaign. The objective of this campaign is to discourage consumers from using plastic bags since plastic is not biodegradable and thus a big threat to the environment. As a result of this campaign, all supermarkets, hypermarkets, or department stores stopped providing plastic bags to the customers while shopping which was a usual practice before to carry the purchased stuffs. Consumers left with two options: either carrying their own bag during purchase or purchasing the plastic bag from the cashier for 20 sen. Azmir, the managing director of ForU hypermarket, was receiving several complaints from his customers since they need to pay for the plastic bag which made him ponder about how to make customers accept the “No Plastic Bag” policy wholeheartedly.

Expected Learning Outcomes

This case illustrates:

• The challenges faced by the Malaysian government in implementing “No Plastic Bag” campaign.

• The need for considering heavy promotional effort in creating awareness among citizens about green issues.

• The necessity to understand different mentality and behavioral pattern of consumers in embracing green consumption behavior.

Citation

Saleh Omar, B., Quoquab, F. and Mohammad, J. (2019), "“No Plastic Bag” Campaign of Malaysia", Quoquab, F. and Mohammad, J. (Ed.) Green Behavior and Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 113-119. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78756-683-520191013