Text 1447, 104 rader
Skriven 2006-05-16 08:29:20 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
Ärende: Cheap Chopsticks
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Interesting article from the AP via Japan Times Online:

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'Waribashi' from China to end

Environment, other costs doom disposable chopsticks
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press

Walk into any noodle shop or restaurant and chances are high 
you'll soon be eating with a pair of disposable wooden 
chopsticks from China.

But not for long.

In a move that has cheered environmentalists but worries 
restaurant owners, China has slapped a 5 percent tax on 
the chopsticks, known as "waribashi," over concerns of 
deforestation.

The move is hitting hard at the Japanese, who consume a 
tremendous 25 billion sets of wooden chopsticks a 
year -- about 200 pairs per person.

Some 97 percent of them come from China. Chinese chopstick 
exporters have responded to the tax increase and a 
rise in other costs by slapping a 30 percent hike on 
prices of chopstick exports to Japan -- with a planned 
additional 20 percent hike currently pending.

The increase has sent Japanese restaurants scrambling to 
find alternative sources for disposable chopsticks.

"We're not in an emergency situation yet, but there has 
been some impact," said Ichiro Fukuoka, director of Japan 
Chopsticks Import Association.

A pair of waribashi that used to cost a little more 
than 1 yen now is 1.5 yen to 1.7 yen. The rising costs 
of raw wood and transportation because of higher oil 
prices have contributed to the rise, industry officials said.

But pretty soon, some fear Japan won't even be able to 
get expensive chopsticks from China: the Mainichi and 
Nihon Keizai newspapers reported that China is expected 
to stop waribashi exports to Japan as early as 2008.

To minimize the damage, Japanese importers now buy more 
bamboo chopsticks and are considering new suppliers, 
including Vietnam, Indonesia and Russia, Fukuoka said.

Convenience store chains try to cushion the impact through 
cost-cutting in distribution and transportation.

"We provide chopsticks only to customers who ask for them," 
said Mayumi Ito, a spokeswoman for Seven & I Holdings Co.,
owner of Seven-Eleven convenience stores. "We're closely 
watching the development."

Disposable chopsticks produced by domestic makers accounted 
for half of the market share until about 20 years ago, but 
were taken over by cheaper and high quality Chinese 
counterparts, mostly produced by Japan-China joint 
ventures.

China's annual production of disposable wooden chopsticks 
exceeds 45 billion pairs -- equivalent to about 25 million 
trees. About one-third of Chinese chopsticks go to Japan 
and South Korea, while most of the remainder are used 
locally, according to a recent U.S. Embassy report quoting 
the Chinese newspaper Jiefang Daily.

It was not immediately known how China's latest policy 
has affected South Korean supplies.

Environmental advocates see the development as a chance 
to get rid of disposable chopsticks, which have been 
linked to deforestation and a wasteful lifestyle.

Osaka-based restaurant chain Marche Corp. switched to 
reusable plastic chopsticks in February at all 760 
outlets after testing various materials and a six-month 
tryout at one-third of its outlets, company spokesman 
Michihiro Ajioka said.

The chain still keeps waribashi in stock in case customers 
have trouble snaring noodles with plastic chopsticks, 
he said. Customers who bring their own chopsticks get 
a small discount.

A pair of 130 yen plastic chopsticks can be reused some 
130 times, Ajioka said.

"So far, we haven't received any complaints," he said. 
"The amount of garbage has decreased significantly, 
which is definitely better for the environment."

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