Aster Pharmacy’s retail outlets around Dubai launched a new ‘Go Green Carry Clean’ initiative, introduced in response to the UAE government’s latest mandate, prohibiting single-use plastics from June 1st, 2024. The campaign encouraged UAE residents to swap plastic bags with sustainable and reusable bags and bring it with them for any shopping expedition. The widespread initiative promoted a larger cultural shift encouraging UAE residents to start using sustainable bags which are environment friendly, reusable and becomes the standard whenever customers make their purchase.
The initiative saw over 280,000 reusable bags being given to customers free of cost. This also included the pharmacy staff actively encouraging the customers entering the store with plastic bags to replace it with free durable and sustainable Aster Pharmacy branded sustainable bags. Based on the success of the pilot findings, Aster Pharmacy will look at expanding these low-cost, easy-to-implement tactics, potentially catalysing a national cultural change towards reusable bags.
“As we roll out these reusable bag solutions throughout our Aster pharmacy locations and learn about customer behaviours, we realize the potential of collective retail action. With everyone’s motivation, devotion, dedication and teamwork, we will continue to make a difference in creating a more sustainable environment for both the present and future generations,” said Mr. N.S Balasubramanian, CEO of Aster Retail.
“This is also a part of our long-term effort over the years to transition to zero-plastic at all our stores which saw us transition to paper bags and even turn our stores into eco-friendly stores through interiors being built with sustainable and recyclable materials,” added Mr. N.S Balasubramanian.
Aster Pharmacy, a part of the Aster DM Healthcare Group and a leading retail chain in the GCC, sees an annual footfall of 10 million people across its 250+ stores. Over the last five years, in alignment with the UAE Government’s efforts to reduce plastic pollution, Aster Pharmacy had undertaken various efforts to introduce eco-friendly policies in its retail stores with interiors built with sustainable and recyclable materials. Aster pharmacy’s proactive efforts to replace plastic bags with recyclable paper bags is now complete with 7.4 million paper bags being used annually to serve the pharmacies customers – a practice that has been in existence for the past four years.
This is also in alignment with Aster DM Healthcare’s ESG policy to reduce the group’s carbon footprint. Waste recycling for the last year included 76,555 kilograms of plastic waste, 446,977 kilograms of paper waste, and 5,506 kilograms of e-waste. The organization’s waste management practices encompass various categories, including biomedical, plastic, food, metals, paper, and cardboard. Aster prioritizes waste segregation at the source, enabling efficient recycling of recyclable materials.
