The State Administration for Industry and Commerce has issued an emergent circular which says that retailing markets shall be held responsible when retailers in the markets provide substandard plastic bags or plastic bags free of charge.

Metro, one of the world's largest retailers, has announced it has stopped supplying plastic bags in its 38 retail sites in China.

According to reports in local media, Hong Kong's Legislative Council has passed regulations regarding charges for plastic bags offered in local retail stores.

By ChinaCSR.com Editors
March 15 is World Consumer Rights Day, and to the chagrin of many wayward companies in China, consumers take this day very seriously as they ensure Chinese companies are maintaining a high level of corporate social responsibility.

According to a representative from the international supermarket chain Metro, the company's two outlets in Wuhan will stop selling plastic shopping bags from 2009, making Metro the first plastic-free supermarket in the city.

Since June 1 when the plastic bag ban was officially implemented, whether restaurants should be included in the ban or not has been scrutinized both in the media and in government agencies.

China's Ministry of Commerce, National Development & Reform Commission and State Administration For Industry & Commerce have promulgated complementary rules for the plastic bag ban implemented from June 1, 2008, claiming now that the ban is also applicable to retail outlets including restaurants, bookstores, clothing stores and building material stores across China.