Under the patronage of the Minister of Environment, Mr. Fadi Jreissati, Carrefour has launched The Solution is in Our Hands; a campaign encouraging the citizens to use eco-friendly bags and reduce the usage of plastic bags.
In the words of Jean Abdul Sater, the District Manager of Carrefour Lebanon at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, “The pollution crisis in Lebanon is at a crucial point, and we are pleased to be collaborating with the Ministry of Environment to address this issue as part of our overarching goal to become net positive in carbon and water by 2040.”
“We’re confident that with the support of the Lebanese community, we can generate the awareness required to curb the relevance of single-use plastics and move one step closer towards creating a greener Lebanon for all,” he added.
From his side, Minister Jreissati thanked Carrefour for this initiative. “I am very proud of this initiative and that Carrefour was one of the first to fight plastic, and I am confident that the other supermarkets will join this campaign soon,” he said.
He shed light on the importance of customers’ actions towards the environment. “We call on the consumers to be responsible and change their habits toward the environment, as the environmental cost that Lebanon is paying is clear to all, and plastic poses the greatest danger to our environment,” Jreissati asserted.
Carrefour is a French leading shopping mall, retail, and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It is operated in Lebanon by Majid Al Futtaim Group which businesses encompass retail investments through its Carrefour stores; with investments expected to reach $50 million by 2023.
As per the group’s chief executive Hani Weiss in his 2018 interview with Sharq El-Awsat, 99% of their 650 employees are Lebanese, and that is expected to rise to 1,700 employees as per their 5-year plan.
Moreover, the company’s long-term target is to produce more energy and water than they consume, reaching a Net Positive business model by 2040.
About Majid Al Futtaim Group, Minister Jreissati said: “Majid Al Futtaim is one of the companies that has invested so much in this country and created a lot of job opportunities for the Lebanese youth, and Majid Al Futtaim’s environmental strategy is in line with the Ministry of Environment plan.”
It’s important to note that starting October 15 of this year, customers across Lebanon will have to pay 100 LL for each plastic bag they take at the supermarkets. This was affirmed by Minister Jreissati during his visit to Ainab, the Lebanese town that has been sorting from the source for 3 years.
With such initiatives taken, we hope that all the supermarkets and shops in Lebanon follow the track and become more eco-friendly!
