<br /><ul><li>The Indian environment ministry issued a letter to states and union territories informing them that there is no imminent ban on single-use plastics.<br /></li><li>It also clarified that the ban would not affect multi-layered packaging, normally used for food and beverages.<br /></li><li>The document shared by ministry outlines action points to achieve the goal of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022.<br /></li></ul>Companies in India were anxious about the government implementing a nation-wide ban on plastic but it seems there are no plans to announce any such restrictions — for now.<br /><br />The environment ministry issued a document to states and union territories (UTs) clarifying that there is no ban on single-use plastics but that the country is still planning on eliminating their use by 2022, according to <a href="https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/plastic-curbs-to-spare-multi-layered-packaging/cid/1709407">The Telegraph</a>,<br /><br />"There is now a need to take it (the awareness) to a new level and ensure that by 2022, we eliminate single-use plastic from our society," stated Environment Secretary Chandra Kishore Mishra in the letter.<br /><br />The ministry outlines that states need to implement legislative interventions and behavioural changes to wean people away from consuming <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/In-some-countries-people-face-jail-time-for-using-plastic-bags-Here-are-all-the-places-that-have-banned-plastic-bags-and-straws-so-far-/articleshow/68712914.cms">single-use plastics</a>.<br /><br />Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s call to action during India’s 73rd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Independence-day">Independence Day</a> had businesses in India worried about the potential economic impact.<br /><br />If such a ban were to be implemented, it would affect <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">everyday items</a> like plastic cups and plastic plates at food stalls, packaging on biscuits and sodas, and small bottles.<br /><br /><strong>Food and beverages are safe<br /></strong><br />The environment ministry also clarified that any planned guidelines to curb the consumption of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=single+use+plastic&amp;sortorder=score&amp;curpg=1">single-use plastic</a>s will not apply to multi-layered plastic packaging, which is commonly used to package products like food and beverages.<br /><br />During the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indian-pm-endorses-iit-camera-to-catch-inattentive-mps-in-parliament/articleshow/71376832.cms">Singapore-India Hackathon</a> at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on 30 September 2019, Modi clarified that he was exclusively campaigning against single-use plastic and not a plastic-free india.<br /><br />"Some people, by mistake, are talking about plastic-free India. I have not said this. I have said that single-use plastic, which comes to use only once, causes a lot of problems," explained Modi.<br /><br />The environment ministry pointed out that only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/which-states-in-india-have-banned-plastic/articleshow/70218756.cms">five states</a> — Maharashtra, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh — currently have legislation in place to regulate plastic waste.<br /><br />It has asked other states to plan on introduce restrictions on plastic use to curate a list of products that they plan to on restricting. <br /><br />It also clarified that there may not be a requirement to ban plastic bottles, like the ones used for packaging water and sodas, and that the focus should be on making sure the bottles are recyclable and can be reprocessed.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/article/amazon-flipkart-and-bigbasket-are-racing-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-from-their-supply-chain/articleshow/71402437.cms">Big Basket ahead of e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart in eliminating single use plastics</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/here-are-all-the-things-you-wont-be-able-to-use-after-india-bans-single-use-plastics/articleshow/71375802.cms">Here are all the things you won't be able to use after India bans single-use plastics</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mount-everest-will-turn-into-a-plastic-free-zone-by-2020-as-nepal-bans-it/articleshow/70780916.cms">Mount Everest will turn into a plastic-free zone by 2020 as Nepal bans it</a><br />

India won’t be banning plastic — for now

<ul><li><strong>Municipal corporation in <keyword id="6358070" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mumbai" source="Orion">Mumbai</keyword> seeks to curb the use of plastic containers used for food deliveries.</strong></li><li><strong>Delivery partners in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> are still in the process of making the transition to eco-friendly options.</strong></li><li><strong>Restaurants in India are struggling to come up with practical eco-friendly solutions.</strong></li><li><strong>Cost of most eco-friendly packaging can range from ₹17-245 per kg as compared to plastic which costs ₹15-18 per kg.</strong> </li></ul>In the last two years, restaurant take-outs have gone up exponentially. While both restaurants and delivery partners are happy about it, city authorities are concerned about the rising plastic waste – be it bags, plastic boxes or containers that are used to pack food. <br /><br />After banning single-use plastics, Mumbai city authorities are making a move to curb the use of plastic boxes and containers for food deliveries. In a meeting with restaurant <a href="https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-no-food-deliveries-in-plastic-boxes">bodies this month</a>, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) suggested restaurants and hotels use steel containers instead.<br /><br />This, the city says, is phase II of their initiative to fight plastics, after a nation-wide ban on single-use plastics in July this year.<br /><br /><strong>‘Want a practical eco-friendly solution’</strong><br /><br />Pradeep Shetty, senior vice president, <keyword id="4905471" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="hotel-and-restaurant-association-of-western-india" source="Orion">Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India</keyword> (HRAWI) told Business Insider India that looking for alternate solutions was not easy as they scramble to satisfy their already-demanding customers’ need for speed with services like 10-minute delivery. <br /><br />Steel containers, Shetty says, are completely impractical. It will also double the cost of delivery. <br /><br />“The plastics used in restaurants are not one-time use. If they ban plastic containers, do they have an eco-friendly plan in place? Will the Indian customer base be willing to pay more for an eco-friendly alternative? Our country does not have a Starbucks clientele as customers who can afford Starbucks can pay for eco-friendly packaging,” said Shetty. <br /><br />That said, the food delivery ecosystem has been trying to transition to eco-friendly options but it’s still work in progress. <br /><br />Swiggy launched a packaging-assist programme in 2016 with the aim of partnering with restaurants across Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore, to provide eco-friendly packaging solutions. <br /><br />Swiggy did not respond to queries sent seeking an update on its five year old initiative. <br /><br /><strong>What’s the cost of saving the environment?</strong> <br /><br />While the transition to eco-friendly options is on the rise, it is slow and will take time for them to become mainstream and popular.<br /><br />The biggest challenge remains the prohibitive cost and limited availability of most eco-friendly options – be it reusable glass containers, bamboo or <keyword id="82169" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="edible-cutlery" source="Orion">edible cutlery</keyword>. While bagasse, made of sugarcane residue, is the only cheap option at ₹3,000 a tonne, or ₹3 a kilogram, the rest are much higher than plastic, which costs ₹15-18 per kilogram. <br /><br /><strong>Cost of eco-friendly options</strong> <br /><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Biodegradable material</strong> <br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"><strong>Cost</strong> <br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Bagasse<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,000 per tonne<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Areca Leaves<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3 per piece<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Bamboo<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹110-120 per kg<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Birchwood<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹48-175 per square feet<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Polylactic Acid (Biodegradable Plastic)<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹245 per kg<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Glass Cullet Scrap<br /><br /></td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹17-35 per kg<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table><br /><em>Source: IndiaMart </em><br /><br /><keyword id="1772508" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="chai-point" source="Orion">Chai Point</keyword>, an Indian tea retail company, partnered with India-based sustainable food packaging company <keyword id="12927457" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ecoware" source="Orion">Ecoware</keyword> in 2016 to develop 100% <keyword id="763264" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="biodegradable" source="Orion">biodegradable</keyword> packaging made of bagasse. Even though Chai Point paper cups remain non-biodegradable, their containers, spoons and sticks are eco-friendly, the company claims. <br /><br />“We are also planning to introduce pineapple waste which can be used as a container, prolonging shelf life and is an eco-friendly solution,” Amuleek Singh Bijral, founder of Chai Point, told Business Insider India. <br /><br />Eco-friendly products can also be made out of Areca leaves, bamboo, birchwood, and biodegradable plastic called polylactic acid (PLA), said Devendra Agrawal, Founder of boutique investment bank Dexter Capital Advisors.<br /><br />Edible cutlery – made out of a mix of sorghum flour, rice flour and wheat flour – is another eco-friendly option that is seeing interest, he said.<br /><br />“Edible cutlery by being tasty, nutritious and environment-friendly, is setting new trends. This eliminates the need for disposal and recycling, thus being a great solution for sit-in restaurants,” said Agrawal. <br /><br />Restaurants and aggregators are taking baby steps towards adopting eco-friendly options. <br /><br />“What aggregators are doing is not revolutionary, they are merely promoting a packaging solution or a company. It’s the restaurants that are doing the packaging and we are trying to be as eco-friendly as possible as we have already done away with single-use plastics,” said Shetty.<br /><br />Change takes time and an adjustment in mindset. A lot of time, energy, investments and collaboration are needed for take-outs to become completely eco-friendly. <br /><br />SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/india-inc-s-credit-profiles-improve-as-earnings-growth-outpaces-debt-sp/articleshow/93779118.cms">India Inc.’s credit profiles improve as earnings growth outpaces debt: S&amp;P</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/dreamfolks-services-ipo-subscribed-3-37x-on-day-2-on-strong-retail-investor-demand/articleshow/93773247.cms">Dreamfolks Services IPO subscribed 3.37x on day 2 on strong retail investor demand</a><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/mercedes-benz-says-25-of-its-sales-in-india-will-be-electric-by-2027/articleshow/93771806.cms">Mercedes-Benz says 25% of its sales in India will be electric by 2027, plans to launch three new electric cars this year</a>

Takeouts without plastics is impractical now say restaurants with ‘few or no’ eco-friendly options

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e5a9e04fee23d2fca02c0b2-2400/gettyimages-1204086092.jpg" alt="de blasio plastic bags" /><p class="source"><span>Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks at an event during which he distributed reusable bags to New Yorkers ahead of the plastic bag ban going into effect on March 1st on Union Square. More than 800000 bags made on order from department of sanitation will be distributed in the city.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A ban on plastic bags in New York State - and a tax on paper bags in some localities, including New York City - will go in effect overnight.</li><li>While the statewide ban will eventually involve fines on businesses as high as $500, the state now says it won't issue any until April.</li><li>New York will be the second state to outright ban the bags, joining California who enacted the strictest ban on the single-use bags in 2016.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>A bag on plastic pans across the state of New York will go into effect on Monday, March 1, a move environmental activists and state champions behind the measure see as a positive step toward reducing pollution and combating climate change. </p><p>"These bags are going to help us have a clean earth and a future for our kids and grandchildren," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at an event in New York City's Union Square in February, as he discussed the law and handed out reusable bags to city residents, according to a report from <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/ny-businesses-and-dogwalkers-brace-for-plastic-bag-ban-coming-march-1/2306952/">NBC New York</a>. </p><p>With the help of a plastic bag manufacturer, an association of 6,000 bodega owners in New York City filed a lawsuit against the state over the plan, claiming that the bags prohibited by the state do not meet the standards set by the law, passed last year. </p><p>As NBC noted, bodega owners have taken issue with a provision that allows for them to hand out thicker, reusable plastic bags that the "industry says it can't yet produce," according to the NBC report.</p><p>The lawsuit was, at least in part, the reason that despite the ban going into effect on March 1, the state says it won't enforce the law until a month later, on April 1. The state said it plans to use the first month to "educate" people about the change. </p><p>New York State Supreme Court Justice L. Michael Mackey refused a request to issue a temporary restraining against the law, meaning it will go into effect on Sunday.</p><p>A lawyer representing the New York Department of Environmental Conservation agreed to not impose any fines related to the proposal until at least April 1, according to the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-state-delays-enforcement-of-plastic-bag-ban-after-lawsuit-is-filed-11582929834">Wall Street Journal</a>. </p><p>"We have consistently said since the beginning of our outreach campaign that we will focus on education rather than enforcement and today does not change that," a spokesperson for the DEC said. </p><p>Businesses in New York would be subject to a fine of up to $500 for each single-use plastic bag issued once the state starts issuing fines under the new law in April. That fine - the maximum - would be issued should a business be found to have violated the law more than once within a calendar year, NBC reported.</p><p>While the law allows for single-use paper bags, certain localities - like New York City - have passed companion legislation that imposes a 5 cent tax on the single-use paper bags.</p><h2>The New York ban follows a California ban enacted in 2016</h2><p>New York would be just the second US state to ban plastic bags, though similar bans have been instituted by more than 400 cities across the country, according to <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/20/20806651/plastic-bag-ban-straw-ban-tax">Vox</a>.</p><p>The ban in California has produced mixed results. As the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/California-banned-plastic-bags-So-why-do-stores-14872852.php">San Francisco Chronicle</a> noted, while it has reduced disposable plastic bag usage in the state by as much as 80 percent, plastic bags are still commonplace in grocery stores and other marketplaces as part of a provision of the law that allows for thicker plastic bags, which are sold for 10 cents.</p><p>As the California newspaper noted, while the plastic bags are classified as reusable, as they can be used around 125 times, they often meet the same fate as the banned single-use bags, being tossed in the garbage after just one use. </p><p>A San Fransico analyst on the city's zero-waste initiative told the San Fransisco Chronicle there's often confusion as to why stores are still using plastic bags at all, as customers are often unaware the thicker bags can be reused. </p><p>More than 400 cities nationwide have enacted some sort of legislation aimed at limiting or eliminating single-use plastic bags, either through outright bans or taxes on them. As Vox noted, the most effective of the policies have relied on limits to some plastic products and taxes on other single-use products.</p><p>According to the Vox report, outright bans on single-use plastic bags lead to a rise in the usage of paper bags, which also have negative impacts on the environment due to the way they are produced.</p><p>In addition to the state-wide bans in California and now New York, the state of Hawaii has also effectively nixed the bags, as all individual counties in the state have all enacted similar bans. </p><p>Other -more conservative - states, like Oklahoma and Missippi, however, have taken an opposite approach, passing legislation that prohibits individual localities from banning single-use plastic bags, Vox noted.</p><p>According to a DEC estimate, New York state residents use 23 billion plastic bags every year. Most plastic bags wind up in landfills, where they can remain for up to 1,000 years if they don't end up in oceans, according to a previous <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/plastic-bans-around-the-world-2019-4">Business Insider</a> report.</p><p><strong>Read more: </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/soil-erosion-ecosystem-restoration-camps-2020-2">Humans have devastated a third of Earth's soil. A global network of volunteers who met online say they can restore it.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gray-whales-stranded-during-solar-storms-cant-navigate-properly-2020-2">215 gray whales got stranded on North American shores last year. Scientists think some of them were blinded during solar storms.</a></p><p><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-gigafactory-on-track-german-court-rules-elon-musk-favor-2020-2-1028926970">Tesla's next Gigafactory is back on track after a German court threw out an environmental challenge</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-upholding-paris-climate-agreement-combat-climate-change">What 24 states are doing to fight climate change in spite of Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreement</a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-story-behind-ford-v-ferrari-oscars-2020-2">'Ford v Ferrari' won 2 Oscars for film editing and sound editing. Here's the real story behind the movie and how Ford changed racing history.</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/d65g4cPI-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

Angering bodega owners, New York will ban plastic bags on Sunday, joining California and hundreds of cities that have adopted similar policies

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b0838fb1ae66239008b477a-1200/1998412715541208179664469188758837121432691o.jpg" border="0" alt="mcdonalds" data-mce-source="Facebook.com/mcdonalds2431USHwy1S" data-link="https://www.facebook.com/McDonalds2431USHwy1S/photos/a.790754730969729.1073741825.144714118907130/1554120817966446/?type=3&amp;theater" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/McDonalds2431USHwy1S/photos/a.790754730969729.1073741825.144714118907130/1554120817966446/?type=3&amp;theater">Facebook.com/mcdonalds2431USHwy1S</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>McDonald's will start testing plastic straw alternatives at select US locations this year. In the UK, the company has decided to adopt biodegradable paper straws.</strong></li><li><strong>The announcement comes amid calls from environmental activists urging McDonald's and other food conglomerates to ditch plastic straws.</strong></li><li><strong>Several US cities have already enacted their own bans.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>Following calls from environmentalists, McDonald's is now testing alternatives to plastic straws in the US.</p><p>The fast-food giant will trial them at select locations later this year, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/06/15/mcdonalds-test-plastic-straw-alternatives-u-s-later-year/703297002/">according to</a> USA Today. No word on what the straws will be made of, but the announcement follows<span> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-scrapping-plastic-straws-in-the-uk-and-us-could-be-next-2018-6">news</a> that McDonald's will adopt paper straws at every UK location by 2019.</span></p><p>Because plastic straws are tiny and don't easily biodegrade, they can commonly slip through the cracks of a city's waste-recycling process,<a href="http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html"> clogging ponds, rivers, and oceans. </a>And unlike their plastic counterparts (forks, takeout containers, plastic bags, etc), straws don't really offer a purpose besides a bit of convenience.</p><p>Some American cities have <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40580132/here-are-the-u-s-cities-that-have-banned-plastic-straws-so-far">started cracking down on single-use straws</a>. In 2012, Miami Beach banned hotels from serving straws, because they often ended up on the sand and in the water, threatening marine life. (<a href="https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/02/04/visitors-fort-myers-beach-now-sucking-up-very-well-without-plastic-straws/301989002/">Fort Myers, Florida</a> and <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/the-last-straw-seattle-will-say-goodbye-to-plastic-straws-utensils-with-upcoming-ban/">Seattle</a> took the same steps in January 2018.) <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/23/new-york-plastic-straws-ban-proposal-city-council-policy">New York City</a>, as well as <a href="http://www.kitv.com/story/37400783/senate-bill-to-ban-plastic-straws-in-hawaii-passes-committee">cities in Hawaii</a> and <a href="http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/05/30/california-plastic-straw-ban-gets-one-step-closer-to-becoming-law/">California,</a> also have pending straw ban legislation.</p><p>Nationwide, McDonald's distributes millions of drinks every day, which means many of their straws have likely ended up in the wild.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pouring-guinness-all-wrong-glass-bubbles-2018-5">You've been pouring your Guinness all wrong</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/ODYMoZIC-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

McDonald's is testing plastic straw alternatives as US cities crack down on single-use straws

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tide is launching a new laundry detergent product in "tile" form.</li><li>Tide evo arrives as Tide's long-dominant Pods face criticism about water pollution.</li></ul><p>Popular but polarizing Tide Pods could soon be a product of the past.</p><p>On Friday, Tide parent company Procter &amp; Gamble unveiled a new laundry detergent product called "tiles" at the South by Southwest festival.</p><p>Tide evo — as the white squares have been branded — will launch next month in Colorado before a nationwide rollout later this year.</p><p>Tide said it "listened to consumers' voices" in developing the tiles, which come in recyclable paper packaging.</p><p>The tiles activate in water and are designed for cold washes, made up of "tens of thousands of minuscule fibers," Tide said, "creating layers of soap without unnecessary liquid and fillers."</p><p>"Tide evo embodies over a decade of research and development, signifying a major advancement in how we approach cleanliness and efficiency in our daily lives," said P&amp;G Fabric &amp; Home Care CEO Sundar Raman.</p><p>Evo's predecessor, Tide Pods, launched in 2012 to enormous fanfare, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/16/business/tide-pods-laundry-detergent-history/index.html">crossing $500 million in sales within a year</a>. </p><p>But the pods' candy-like look <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-reviews-say-you-can-eat-tide-pods-2018-1">spawned jokes online</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tide-pod-challenge-youtube-taking-down-videos-2018-1">social media challenges</a> where people purportedly ate them.</p><p>P&amp;G added a bitter agent to the pods, warnings to keep them away from kids, and launched an ad campaign with footballer Rob Gronkowski to crack down on the trend.</p><p>But more recently, laundry pods have come under fire over environmental concerns. </p><p>A City Council member in New York City introduced a bill last month to ban the sale of pods containing a type of plastic called polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-08/new-york-city-considers-banning-laundry-dishwasher-pods">Bloomberg reported</a>, citing waterway pollution.</p><p>P&amp;G told Bloomberg at the time that PVA "does not contribute to microplastic pollution."</p><p>The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.</p>

Forget Pods. Tide wants to make fabric 'tiles' the future of laundry.

<ul><li>The suite provides universities an automation engine to migrate from paper-based and traditional third-party enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.</li><li>This move will help the universities to save at least four billion trees, said <keyword id="13079" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rahul-sharma" source="Orion">Rahul Sharma</keyword>, regional head, public sector – AISPL, <keyword id="8632828" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aws-india" source="Orion">AWS India</keyword> and South Asia.</li><li>The open source will provide flexibility to process more than 7.6 million student admission applications.</li></ul>Amazon’s cloud service division <keyword id="141088" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amazon-web-services" source="Orion">Amazon Web Services</keyword> (AWS) on Friday said that <keyword id="6360099" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="delhi-university" source="Orion">Delhi University</keyword> is using its technology and services for the wider adoption of <keyword id="14937955" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="samarth-egov" source="Orion">Samarth eGov</keyword>.<br /><br />Samarth eGov is an open source and secure process automation e-governance platform used by various universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) in India.<br /><br />AWS claims that this source has been adopted by at least 200 universities and HEIs in India, including more than 40 central and state universities, and more than 100 colleges. The company plans to cover more than 500 HEIs by 2023.<br /><br />This move will help the universities to save at least four billion trees, said Rahul Sharma, regional head, public sector – AISPL, AWS India and South Asia.<br /><br />“The education sector in India is adapting to the post-pandemic era where student expectations are rising and changing, and the engagement between students, administration, and faculty are increasingly expected to be digitally-driven,” Sharma added.<br /><br />The Samarth eGov suite provides universities an automation engine to migrate from paper-based and traditional third-party enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to a secure platform that helps in automating digital processes and workflows.<br /><br />The suite provides more than 40 software modules covering academics, administration, student services, human resources, governance, accounting, and finance as a cloud-based service to central and state universities, HEIs, and technical institutions in India.<br /><br />The  open source will provide flexibility to process more than 7.6 million student admission applications, handle more than 600,000 faculty and staff recruitment applications, and manage more than 7.5 million student records nationwide.<br /><br />Students can also access basic information on courses, selection criteria, registration, admission, and fee payments online. Educational institutions can also enhance student outcomes by automating processes like managing teaching schedules and freeing up educators’ time to focus on teaching activities such as providing personalized lessons based on students’ performance.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ranbir-kapoors-brahmastra-wipes-out-over-800-crore-wealth-of-pvr-and-inox-investors/articleshow/94095579.cms">Brahmastra wipes out over ₹800 crore wealth of PVR and Inox investors</a><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/ban-plastic-cigarette-lighters-imports-save-domestic-matchbox-industry-tamil-nadu-cm/articleshow/94089667.cms"><strong>Ban plastic cigarette lighters imports, save domestic matchbox industry: Tamil Nadu CM</strong></a>

Delhi University uses Amazon Web Services to drive process automation via Samarth eGov

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In August, I flew from New York to <keyword id="6372909" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="turkey">Turkey</keyword>.</li><li>It's one of the few countries inviting American travelers, and its relatively strong <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> response makes it an attractive destination.</li><li>The country offers cheap <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> insurance to cover medical costs if you get the virus, businesses take precautions by wrapping everything in plastic, and there are hand-sanitizing stations everywhere you look.</li><li>The country's beauty and optimistic vibe stood in stark contrast with New York.</li></ul><p>In early August, I did something that many friends and family thought was completely crazy — I went to New York's JFK Airport, boarded a <keyword id="99419" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Turkish-Airlines">Turkish Airlines</keyword> flight, and made my way to Istanbul for a 12-day adventure in Turkey.</p><p>Yes, I understood that we were in the middle of a global pandemic and, sure, I realized that travel — especially international travel — had become almost impossible for Americans. But Turkey was one of the few European holiday destinations still open to Yanks and I had a friend who knew the country well. All I had to do was show up.</p><p>Part of the reason I went is because Turkey has, for the most part, <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/06/04/what-turkey-got-right-about-the-pandemic">handled COVID-19 with surprising success</a>. Its caseload <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/turkey">peaked in April</a>. And despite being far less wealthy — and far more populated — than traditional summer beach spots like Spain and Italy, Turkey's infection rate has <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/travel/1322064/coronavirus-greece-turkey-croatia-cases-infection-rate-quarantine/">mostly been lower than those better-known Mediterranean locations</a>. It's even <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/greece-switzerland-risk-being-added-22570130">lower than Greece</a>, barely 30 minutes away from much of Turkey's southern coastline.</p><p>True, some <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> organizations are suggesting that Turkey's infection and death rates <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-08-20/turkey-doctors-fear-coronavirus-numbers-are-higher-government-admits">may be higher</a> than reported. And locals who I met regularly spoke of an impending "second wave." But for now, at least, life in Turkey feels, yes, almost normal.</p><p>Most appealing of all, Turkey launched a new program offering affordable, comprehensive <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> insurance for travelers to cover medical costs in case of COVID-19 infection. Launched by Turkey's <a href="https://travel.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/destination/international/turkey-to-introduce-covid-19-insurance-package-for-all-foreign-guests-from-july-1/76531932">Ministry of Tourism and Culture in June</a>, the plan provides between 3,000 and 7,000 euros worth of health coverage for a fee between 15 and 23 euros — about $25 per person. Although I already had solid travel insurance — and was confident I'd remain healthy — the program offered an added sense of security.</p><div type="image" title="istanbul" height="1134" width="1511" msid="77922347" hostid="261"></div><p>The insurance complements the ministry's larger <a href="https://www.tga.gov.tr/about-safe-tourism-program/">Safe Tourism Certification Program,</a> which established a series of strict parameters for hospitality operators nationwide.</p><p>"Early on we realized that corona was not going away anytime soon," Timuçin Güler, General Director of Promotion of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, told Insider. "So we had to take actions that would ensure safety for everyone — foreign travelers and Turkish citizens."</p><p>And those actions are extensive, explains Güler, who notes that tourism levels are less than half of a typical year right now. Hotels, restaurants, trains, taxis, <keyword id="6569650" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airplanes">airplanes</keyword>, and airports must pass strict monthly sanitary inspections or face extensive fines — or closure. There are also robust testing, quarantine, and treatment plans in place for tourists, with most services offered in hotels.</p><p>As a result of these measures, Turkey has managed to remain off of the British government's <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/24/countries-quarantine-list-uk-travel-rules-portugal/">mandatory 14-day quarantine list</a> for its citizens traveling abroad this summer. There's no corresponding policy from the US government — but if Turkey is safe enough for the Brits, it's safe enough for me. And I am not alone.</p><p>"The level of commitment demonstrated by both the Turkish government and the private sector to minimize the virus has been noticeable from airports to dining to hotels," Kuwaiti <a href="https://www.instagram.com/talal.alrashed/?hl=en">travel and lifestyle expert Talal Al Rashed</a>, who has regularly visited Turkey since 2005, told Insider. "You quickly begin to appreciate the seriousness of the government's efforts to help tourism get back on its feet."</p><h2>Everything is wrapped in plastic</h2><p>Still, while Turkey may be relatively safe, travel there remains far from normal.</p><p>Take the flight, for instance. Turkish Airlines is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airlines-in-the-world-2018-skytrax-2018-7">often considered as among the best in the world</a> with elaborate in-flight meals and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/25-best-airlines-in-the-world-entertainment-2019-7">amenities</a> throughout the cabin.</p><p>No more.</p><p>While the actual seats — especially in Business Class — remain pure comfort, there is no longer any hot food, poured beverages, magazines, or newspapers. Instead, travelers are greeted with in-flight safety kits filled with hand wash and face masks, which they're told repeatedly must cover their mouths and noses from boarding to arrival. Temperatures are taken upon touch-down and flights are staggered so folks from multiple nations minimally mingle at immigration.</p><p>Everything is tightly wrapped in plastic, which certainly feels sanitary, but also feels like travel from a far less eco-conscious era. One can only worry that if the coronavirus doesn't kill us, we will, instead, drown in a sea of plastic.</p><div type="image" title="turkish airlines food coronavirus" height="1875" width="2500" msid="77922348" hostid="261"></div><p>The never-ending plastic continued throughout the trip, which felt at once surreal and completely ordinary. There are plastic barriers separating drivers from passengers in Turkish taxi cabs and hefty plastic panels between myself and staffers at the new <a href="https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/istjb-jw-marriott-istanbul-bosphorus/">JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus</a>. Opened just before lock-down in the hip Karaköy district — soon home to both a posh <a href="https://www.peninsula.com/en/istanbul">Peninsula Hotel</a> and a massive <a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/business/tourism/istanbuls-galataport-set-to-welcome-first-cruise-ship-in-april">new cruise ship terminal</a> — the JW Marriott inhabits century-old office buildings and is moments from the Bosphorus itself. Anchored by a soaring light-filled atrium, the hotel offers pristine views of the landmark mosques and towers that have lured travelers to Istanbul for centuries.</p><p>Outside, the hotel fronts lively streets packed with face mask-wearing locals sitting in cute cafes or hanging at mezze or kebab joints. Inside, the feeling is decidedly less "normal." Buffets are banned at the rooftop restaurant, rooms are only cleaned upon request, there is hand sanitizer everywhere, and everything — robes, pens, face-masks — is wrapped in plastic.</p><p>A similar standard was met at the equally new — and luxuriously resort-like — <a href="https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/kocatas-mansions-istanbul">Six Senses Kocatas Mansions</a> in Istanbul's upscale Sariyer district. Housed in a pair of meticulously restored Ottoman-era palaces dating to the late 19th century, the 43-room property features sprawling hillside gardens out back, the azure Bosphorus out front — where the water is clean enough to actually take a swim.</p><div type="image" title="Six Senses Kocatas Mansions" height="1665" width="2221" msid="77922349" hostid="261"></div><p>With its neighboring estates and a quaint nearby village, the hotel feels a world away from Istanbul's packed center 45 minutes to the south. But safety still reigns supreme here. Temperature checks, face masks, hand sanitizer, and a la carte menus at half-full restaurants are standard. Considering the Six Senses is new and not extremely busy, these protocols felt effortless.</p><p>Clearly a more concerted effort was required five hours south in Izmir, where I stayed at the <a href="https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/izmir/">Swissotel Bukey Efes</a>, a massive waterfront resort with 457 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, and a giant swimming pool. The place was packed — mostly with vacation-desperate Turks, but also with Europeans in need of some summer sun. </p><p>I'll concede, I missed the massive breakfast buffet — replaced by myriad servers shrouded behind plastic barriers. But it felt like a small sacrifice to be in a hotel — and city and nation — where it essentially felt like life had gone back to normal.</p><h2>Some Turkish-Americans were shopping for real estate</h2><p>I ended my trip in Bodrum, on Turkey's legendary "Aegean Riviera," which was hopping. Like in Izmir, most folks were Turks, enjoying elegant resorts and posh private villas. But there was <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2020/08/06/covid-19-travel-where-can-americans-vacation-internationally/5517408002/">also a strong contingent of Americans</a>, eager to escape the endless stateside quarantines and lockdowns — including many (particularly Turkish-Americans) shopping for real estate.</p><p>"We have seen a dramatic increase in inquiries from the States in the last three months, which is very encouraging," Mihane Miki Sadiku, owner and director of local real estate firm <a href="http://www.yalihaninternational.com/">Yalihan International</a>, told Insider. "Bodrum's housing stock is limited and it is getting harder to approve building permits, which is why we are seeing property values increasing."</p><div type="image" title="bodrum meal" height="1134" width="1511" msid="77922350" hostid="261"></div><p>Our time in Bodrum was spent at the five-room, family-owned, city-center hotel — <a href="https://www.instagram.com/halabodrum/">the Hala Bodrum</a> — which is set in a traditional Turkish stone house with a beautiful garden heaving with citrus trees. The owner, Ayca Aras, also runs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/polebodrum/?hl=en">Pole Bodrum,</a> a fun and fitness-minded pole dancing studio.</p><p>At a moment of increasing Islamist conservatism across Turkey, everything about Bodrum felt refreshingly open and free. The bars and restaurants — Port and Old Town — were bustling with visitors, mostly covered in face masks and reasonably socially distanced. And folks who didn't follow the rules received a stern talking-to from local police.</p><p>Back in New York, I was immediately struck by the contrast between lively Turkey and the grim vibe pulsing through post-lockdown Manhattan.</p><p>"Corona was really a game-changing scenario for us and we are already preparing and taking precautions for next year," Güler said. In the meantime, "we are open for business and still waiting for Americans to show up."</p>

I traveled to Turkey, one of the few countries letting Americans in, and they offered me $25 insurance in case I got the coronavirus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1ac98a1ae6621c008b4e64-911/elderly korea.jpg" border="0" alt="elderly korea" data-mce-source="Jean Chung/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="The elderly have particularly high suicide rates in South Korea." /><p class="source"><span>Jean Chung/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">The elderly have particularly high suicide rates in South Korea.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong><a href="http://businessinsider.com/category/south-korea">South Korea</a> has the <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">highest rate of deaths by suicide</a> among developed countries. </strong></li><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/suicide">Suicide</a> by the elderly <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2013/12/07/poor-spirits">comprises the bulk of these deaths</a> in the highly developed East Asian country. </strong></li><li><strong>But a government push in 2011 and 2012 to ban paraquat, a pesticide often used in suicide attempts, helped curb suicide deaths nationwide. </strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p><span>In South Korea, nearly 30% of all suicide victims are <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/no-country-for-old-people/">over the age of 65</a>. Seoul resident Seong Young-Sook, 70, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/23/asia/s-korea-elderly-poverty/">told CNN in 2015</a> that, after years of being an impoverished widow, she almost became another elderly victim. </span></p><div>"I feel that my generation is being forgotten," Seong <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/23/asia/s-korea-elderly-poverty/">said to CNN</a>. "I worked really hard and I've been so diligent. But somehow I ended up here.</div><p><span>"I tried to kill myself next to my husband's grave. Someone discovered me and I survived," Seong told CNN.</span></p><p><span>While suicide rates across the developed world have fallen or stayed stagnant the past decades, they've <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4823193/#B2">rapidly increased</a> in South Korea. <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">In 1995,</a> there were 12.7 deaths by suicide per 100,000 people in South Korea. That number reached 33.3 <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">by 2010</a>.</span><span></span></p><p><span>Since 2003, South Korea has had the highest suicide rate among developed countries, <a href="https://data.oecd.org/healthstat/suicide-rates.htm">according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development</a>.</span></p><p><span>Suicide is especially prominent among South Korean elderly. They take up an increasing share of South Korea's population, and nearly half of them <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/summer-tapgol-park/">live in poverty</a>. Suicide is also the <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180426000581">leading cause of death</a> for teenagers; nearly 8% said <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/04/116_177930.html">in 2014</a> that they considered suicide. </span></p><p><span>And when South Korean notables die by suicide, their deaths dominate the headlines for weeks at a time, like in the recent cases of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/23/roh.dead/">former president Roh Moo-hyun</a> and beloved singer <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2124871/shinee-singer-jonghyuns-final-message-suicide-becoming-famous">Jonghyun</a></span><span> of the boy band SHINee. In the US, celebrity suicides have been shown to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16985220/robin-williams-sucide-reporting-health">increase deaths</a>.</span></p><p>As in much of the world, depression and other mental illnesses are harshly stigmatized in South Korea, author Young-Ha Kim <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">wrote in The New York Times</a>.</p><p>"Too many people in South Korea have outdated views of psychological illness," Kim wrote in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">a 2014 Times opinion piece</a>. "Many think that when someone is suicidal he simply lacks a strong will to live; he's weak. There's little sympathy or interest in probing below the surface."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1af7af1ae6624b008b4eac-2000/deaths by suicide in south korea 1.png" border="0" alt="Deaths by suicide in South Korea (1)" data-mce-source="Source: World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development" /><p class="source"><span>Source: World Health Organization, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development</span></p><p class="caption">The rate for deaths by suicide in South Korea has fallen by 15% from 2011 to 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>But the trend is slowly reversing</h2><p>Since 2010, however, suicide rates in South Korea have fallen.</p><p>Busan and Incheon, two of South Korea's biggest cities, both implemented suicide prevention programs within their cities, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/opinion/south-koreas-struggle-with-suicide.html">according to Kim</a>. </p><p>The banning of a highly-toxic weed killer called paraquat has been key in plummeting suicide rates.</p><p>Paraquat and other pesticides accounted for <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26582846">a fifth of suicides</a> in 2006-2010. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4823193/">Poisoning overall</a> is the second-most common suicide method among elderly South Korean men and most common for elderly South Korean women. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1ac35c1ae6624a008b4e23-1445/screen shot 2018-06-08 at 15453 pm.png" border="0" alt="paraquat" data-mce-source="MBC News" data-mce-caption="MBC News, a leading South Korean news source, reported on paraquat's potentially lethal uses." data-link="http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2009/nwdesk/article/2515881_18873.html" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2009/nwdesk/article/2515881_18873.html">MBC News</a></span></p><p class="caption">MBC News, a leading South Korean news source, reported on paraquat's potentially lethal uses.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>South Korea began curbing paraquat purchases in 2011 and banned its sale totally in 2012. From 2011 to 2015, the suicide mortality rates dropped by nearly 15%, a <a href="http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2017/en/">2017 World Health Organization report</a> showed. The suicide rates for pesticide-caused deaths alone decreased 46%, according to <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128980">a 2015 South Korean study</a>.</p><p>The suicide rate as of 2015 in South Korea was 28.3 per 100,000, according to the <a href="http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/2017/en/">WHO report</a>. The US rate stands at 14.3, Japan at 19.6, and China at 10.0. </p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/moon-jae-in">Moon Jae-in</a>, the South Korea president who took office last year, has pledged to lower suicide rates to 20 deaths per 100,000 by 2020.</p><p><a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180426000581">In January,</a> the South Korean government began a new initiative to lower suicide rates: community engagement. They will train one million religious and civic group members on suicide prevention, analyze case studies, and run more screening tests.</p><p>But the budget to fight these measures still remains low: <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170907000924">$9.2 million</a>. According to the Korea Herald, that's <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170907000924">0.02% of the government's budget</a> to reduce traffic accidents. </p><p class="tagline">If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention and crisis situations.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eyelid-surgery-in-south-korea-2015-11">Why Korean parents are having their kids get plastic surgery before college</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/vf6Jgrc5-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

South Korea has the highest rate of deaths by suicide in the developed world - but a 2011 law helped decrease rates by 15%

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e41beeb0ef975f148b764a-2400/rtr4o9jm.jpg" alt="Dunkin Donuts" data-mce-source=" REUTERS/Jim Young" data-mce-caption="A drink and a doughnut are seen at a Dunkin' Donuts location in the Chicago suburb of Niles, Illinois, February 4, 2015." /><p class="source"><span> REUTERS/Jim Young</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>For years, Dunkin' Donuts has been saying it would replace its iconic foam cups with cups that are more friendly to the environment.</p><p>In <a href="http://dunkinbrands.iprsoftware.com/internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/226/files/201411/CSR_Annual_Report_2010.pdf">a 2010 report</a>, the coffee chain considered its use of foam to be "the most prominent sustainability issue we must deal with." </p><p>In a follow-up report two years later, the company said it was still searching for an alternative to foam. Dunkin' Donuts CEO Nigel Travis said in its 2012 corporate social responsibility report that it hoped to roll out a more sustainable cup <a href="http://www.dunkinbrands.com/internal_redirect/cms.ipressroom.com.s3.amazonaws.com/226/files/201411/2012%20CSR%20Report%20Online%20Design%20-%20FINAL%2006.28.13.pdf">in 2 to 3 years</a>.</p><p>That effort has pretty much stalled.</p><p>Today, six years after declaring that replacing foam cups was the company's "#1 sustainability priority," a majority of Dunkin' Donuts restaurants still serve coffee in cups made of polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam. And the company hasn't made much progress transitioning to a suitable alternative. </p><p>"W<span>e are not p</span><span>repared to transition fully out of foam at this time," Christine Riley Miller, Dunkin' Brands' s</span><span>enior director of corporate social responsibility, told Business Insider in a statement. </span></p><p><span>Like McDonald's golden arches, Dunkin' Donuts' foam cups have become an icon of the brand. The company loves them because they're cheap to buy. Customers love them because they insulate hot beverages well. But polystyrene foam is one of the most <a href="https://sustainability.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Impacts-of-Styrofoam.pdf">environmentally unfriendly</a> materials out there, <a href="https://sustainability.wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Impacts-of-Styrofoam.pdf">clogging up landfills</a> and choking animals in the wild, among other things. </span></p><p><span>Because foam is so detrimental to the environment, many municipalities across the country are <a href="http://time.com/4388034/san-francisco-polystyrene-ban-foam/">banning it</a>. In those places, Dunkin' Donuts has introduced new cups made of a <span>recyclable plastic called polypropylene, which the company says is "currently the best available alternative to foam." Polypropylene is much easier to recycle than polystyrene, though it's not as easy to recycle as polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is the material used to make most plastic soda bottles. </span></span></p><p><span><span>Polypropylene can be identified by the number "5," which appears on the bottom of cups. A number "6" means polystyrene, or Styrofoam. P<span>olyethylene terephthalate is coded with the number "1."</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Dunkin' Donuts'</span> polypropylene cup was the result of years of research to find an alternative to foam that would keep beverages hot and be accepted in municipal recycling facilities, according to Miller. B</span></span><span><span>ut the company won't be rolling out the new cups nationwide anytime soon for a few reasons. </span></span></p><p><span><span>One issue with the polypropylene cups, according to Miller, is the cost. The polypropylene cup and lid cost a lot more than the foam cup and lid combo.</span></span></p><p><span><span>Miller also said customers, "are not satisfied with the lid on the new cup." The lid, she said, is still made of polystyrene, which is banned in some places and is also not recyclable. </span></span></p><p><span><span>As a result, Miller said the company is still working to find a better alternative. </span></span></p><p><span><span>"They're being reactive," said Conrad Mackerron, senior vice president of As You Sow, an organization that has been pushing Dunkin' Donuts to phase out its foam cups. "They're in a comfortable spot because they've made the commitment and now they say they're just trying the get the logistics right."</span></span></p><p><span><span>One of the main challenges in getting Dunkin' Donuts to ditch foam cups across the board is its ownership structure, <span>Mackerron said</span>. Most Dunkin' Donuts shops are franchises, and according to Mackerron, there would be a lot of push back from franchisees if the company switched to a more expensive cup. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57e53e32077dccda0b8b7bec-440/mcdlt-1.jpg" alt="mcdonalds mcdlt" data-mce-source="theworldsbestever.com" data-link="http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2009/05/15/fast-food-sandwiches-of-the-past/" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2009/05/15/fast-food-sandwiches-of-the-past/">theworldsbestever.com</a></span></p><p class="caption">McDonald's discontinued the McDLT, which was served in a double compartment foam container, after phasing out polystyrene in the '90s.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span><span>However, Mackerron noted that McDonald's, which also franchises a <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245809">majority</a> of its restaurants, was able to make the switch from foam. </span></span></p><p><span><span>In 2013, McDonald's <a href="http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20130925/NEWS/130929944/mcdonalds-to-phase-out-ps-hot-beverage-cups#">announced</a> that it would phase out foam cups in favor of paper-based cups at all of its US restaurants. Way back in 1990, the fast-food giant ditched its foam burger containers, the Los Angeles Times <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1990-11-02/news/mn-3711_1_foam-packages">reported</a> at the time. </span></span></p><p><span><span>Starbucks's hot </span></span><span><span>cups are made with 10% <span>recycled paper fiber, and while what is and is not recyclable varies by municipality, a representative from Starbucks told Business Insider, "<span>we pay local private haulers across the country to collect and recycle hot cups along with our other recyclable products, compost and trash."</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span>Starbucks has <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report/environmental-stewardship/front-of-store-recycling">prioritized</a> putting recycling bins in its stores, but that solution only goes so far. After all, most customers take their Starbucks cups to go and then dispose of them in normal trash cans. About <a href="http://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/ee8121c1a6554399b554d126228d52ed.pdf">59% of Starbucks stores</a> had front-of-store recycling as of last year. </span></span></p><p><span><span>While the coffee chain has been promoting reusable cups by offering a discount to customers who bring in their own tumblers, progress has been slower than expected. Starbucks had to <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report/environmental-stewardship/reusable-cups">drastically lower</a> its goal of serving 25% of its beverages in reusable cups to just 5%. Currently only about 1.6% of Starbucks drinks are served in personal tumblers. </span></span></p><p><span><span>In 2015 when New York <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/nyregion/judge-strikes-down-new-york-citys-ban-on-foam-food-containers.html?_r=0">implemented a ban</a> on foam food containers, Dunkin' Donuts made headlines that said the chain was "phasing out Styrofoam." In fact, the chain did temporarily switch to the recyclable polypropylene cups it had been <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-17/dunkin-donuts-tests-recyclable-cups-as-foam-loses-favor">testing</a> in other regions.</span></span></p><p><span><span>But just a few months after the city's foam ban went into effect, a judge overturned it, under pressure from the restaurant industry. And Dunkin' Donuts soon switched back to its foam<span> cups. </span></span></span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/secrets-jack-daniels-whiskey-alcohol-2016-8">Secrets about Jack Daniel's that you probably don't know</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NxZndtNTE6jNhqw_oXnWnU3pNG6t0_4c" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NxZndtNTE6jNhqw_oXnWnU3pNG6t0_4c',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Dunkin' Donuts is still serving coffee in Styrofoam cups 6 years after saying it would stop

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a39a434b0bcd5331a8b5ed4-1024/gettyimages-475310660.jpg" alt="China luxury car" data-mce-source="Kevin Frayer/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>China lists the names and personal details of 8.8 million debt defaulters on a public website.</strong></li><li><strong>Those defaulters can't fly or use high-speed trains, book fancy hotels or enroll their children at expensive schools.</strong></li><li><strong>Naming and shaming is growing across the country, with automatic messages playing on mobile phones and the names and photos of defaulters being promoted on screens in buses and public lifts.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />China maintains a public blacklist of debtors that effectively restricts their movements and their spending habits.</p><p>The country's highest court publishes the names and ID numbers of "dishonest people" on its website and restricts those people from flying domestically, using high-speed trains, or enrolling their children at expensive private schools.</p><p>Defaulters are also prevented from staying at <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/newsrepublic/2016-11/02/content_27257134.htm">hotels</a> with three-stars or more. They also face tougher <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-civil-service-exam-2017-11">exams</a> if they want to join the civil service, and are charged higher fees for booking cars. The bans work by linking to a person's ID number. Some people used their passport when travelling to circumvent the ban, but that loophole now appears to be <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1033041.shtml">closed</a>.</p><p>The site was created by the Supreme People's Court in an attempt to make people comply with verdicts to repay their debts. <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-07/22/content_21376666.htm">Restrictions</a> are placed on "high-expenditure consumption" and "consumption not necessary to sustain normal life or businesses" for individual defaulters as well as the legal representatives and CEOs of companies that default.</p><p>The list launched in late 2013 with <a href="http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-11/05/content_17082990.htm">31,259 names</a> and within two weeks it had been visited 180,000 times.</p><p>Since then, <a href="http://english.court.gov.cn/2017-11/21/content_34809918.htm">8.8 million</a> debtors have been added to the list.Together, they have been prevented from flying 8.7 million times and denied 3.4 million high-speed train tickets.</p><p>Earlier this year one defaulter was <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/03/c_136657135.htm">fined</a> $15,000 for travelling on a first-class flight while another underwent <a href="https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1AE047">plastic surgery</a> to try and evade detection by authorities.</p><p>The blacklist also limits defaulter's job prospects. Several major employers first check the creditworthiness of job applicants and more than 170,000 people on the list have been denied executive positions.</p><p>"It is hoped that by imposing such inconveniences on their daily lives, debtors will be encouraged to pay back the money they owe in a timely manner," the court said in its statement earlier this year.</p><h2>Provinces are using people's own phones to shame them</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a39b9b4b0bcd51c198b5eed-1024/gettyimages-470799966.jpg" alt="Phone Sichuan" data-mce-source="Kevin Frayer/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Kevin Frayer/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In August, a court in the southwest Sichuan Province began leaving <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-10/03/c_136657135.htm">recorded messages</a> on the phones of 20 debtors.</p><p>When someone rings a defaulter, this <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2114768/china-create-national-name-and-shame-system-deadbeat-borrowers">message</a> plays: "The person you are calling has been put on a blacklist by the courts for failing to repay their debts. Please urge this person to honour their legal obligations."</p><p>Three other provinces have trialed similar programs and another province rolled out messages on the phones of 492 debtors.</p><p>But in one Beijing district, eerie court-mandated messages aren't only being used for people who haven't paid their bills.</p><p>According to Chinese publication <a href="http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1000762/chinese-app-gives-blacklisted-people-dishonest-caller-id">Sixth Tone</a>, any of the hundreds of millions of people who have the anti-virus Qihoo 360 app will be informed - via a pop-up message that says, "Included on the list of dishonest individuals" -if they have contact with someone who hasn't paid staff or child support.</p><h2>Names and faces will soon be promoted on buses and in the media</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a39b9454aa6b5c7008b6108-2000/gettyimages-73559856.jpg" alt="Beijing" data-mce-source="Guang Niu/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Guang Niu/Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The Supreme People's Court is partnering with the Communist Party's Publicity Department to begin widely shaming anyone who doesn't repay a bank loan, the <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2114768/china-create-national-name-and-shame-system-deadbeat-borrowers">South China Morning Post</a> reported in October.</p><p>The name, ID number, photograph and home address of bank defaulters across the country will now be able to be published in newspapers, radio, and broadcast on television, as well as on screens in buses and public lifts.</p><p>According to the report, local governments were also instructed to create name-and-shame databases - searchable by anyone - before the end of 2017.</p><p>Regional courts will provide the details to local media outlets, who will then run the databases.</p><p>In Guangzhou, in southern China, 141 people have had their personal details displayed on screens in buses and commercial buildings.</p><h2>The debtor blacklist was the first step to an all-encompassing social credit system</h2><p>Since the debtor list was first created, state-media reports repeatedly described it as the first step toward creating a China-wide social credit score of trustworthiness.</p><p>China's credit scoring system will be rolled out nationwide in <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/chinese-government-social-credit-score-privacy-invasion">2020</a>, but for now eight pilot systems are being run. One of these, Sesame Credit, is run by the Alibaba subsidiary Ant Financial.</p><p>In 2015, the Supreme People's Court began working with Sesame Credit, which then deducts credit points off people who default on court fines. Once rolled out, the lower a person's social credit score the fewer opportunities and more restrictions they will face.</p><p>But for now, the debtor blacklist appears to be working. Last month, the Supreme People's Court reported the list "has made more than 1 million of them voluntarily carry out court orders."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffett-modest-home-bought-31500-looks-2017-6">Warren Buffett lives in a modest house that's worth .001% of his total wealth - here's what it looks like</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/wcMvLIvP-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Debtors in China are placed on a blacklist that prohibits them from flying, buying train tickets, and staying at luxury hotels

<p><span class="highlight"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5660ffe0c2814469008b7519-711-533/new-york-city-to-require-chain-restaurants-to-label-high-sodium-food.jpg" alt="A meal of a " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="A meal of a &amp;quotMonster&amp;quot-sized A.1. Peppercorn burger, Bottomless Steak Fries, and Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake is seen at a Red Robin restaurant in Foxboro" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A meal of a "Monster"-sized A.1. Peppercorn burger, Bottomless Steak Fries, and Monster Salted Caramel Milkshake is seen at a Red Robin restaurant in Foxboro</p></div><p></p></div></div>NEW </span><span class="highlight">YORK </span>(Reuters) - A<span class="highlight"> restaurant </span>industry trade group<span class="highlight"> is </span>suing<span class="highlight"> New </span><span class="highlight">York </span><span class="highlight">City</span>'s Board of Health to stop it from enforcing a<span class="highlight"> new </span>rule requiring many chain<span class="highlight"> restaurant</span>s to post<span class="highlight"> warnings </span>on menu items that are high in sodium.</p><p>The National<span class="highlight"> Restaurant </span>Association said on Thursday the Board of Health unfairly burdened<span class="highlight">restaurant </span>owners and usurped the power of the popularly elected<span class="highlight"> City </span>Council by forcing<span class="highlight"> restaurant</span>s with more than 15 locations nationwide to warn diners about<span class="highlight"> salt</span>y foods.</p><p>Backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, the rule, believed the first of its kind nationally, requires<span class="highlight">restaurant</span>s to post a<span class="highlight"> salt </span>shaker encased in a black triangle as a warning symbol next to any menu item with more than 2,300 milligrams (0.08 ounce) of sodium, the daily limit many nutrition<span class="highlight">is</span>ts recommend.</p><p><span class="highlight">New </span><span class="highlight">York </span><span class="highlight">City </span>adopted the rule, which took effect on Tuesday, in an effort to help lower blood pressure and reduce the r<span class="highlight">is</span>k of heart attacks and strokes.</p><p>The rule also applies to concession stands at some movie theaters and sports stadiums. Violators would be pun<span class="highlight">is</span>hed by a $200 fine, starting on March 1, 2016.</p><p>In papers being filed with the state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the<span class="highlight"> restaurant </span>group likened the rule to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's failed effort to curb sales of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (473 milliliters).</p><p>"The regulation, like the Soda Ban before it,<span class="highlight"> is </span>completely arbitrary in its scope, reach, and application," the group said. "With the Sodium Mandate, the Board has required the d<span class="highlight">is</span>closure of just enough inaccurate and controversial information about sodium in certain food items to cause far reaching negative consequences rather than help consumers and reduce public health r<span class="highlight">is</span>ks."</p><p>The papers could not be independently verified in court records.</p><p>Nick Paolucci, a spokesman for the<span class="highlight"> city</span>'s law department, said: "We are confident that the Board of Health has the authority to enact th<span class="highlight">is </span>rule. We will review the specific claims once we are served with the lawsuit."</p><p>Bloomberg was known for pushing health initiatives in<span class="highlight"> New </span><span class="highlight">York</span>. Some, including requiring fast-food<span class="highlight"> restaurant</span>s to post calorie counts and banning smoking in public places, have found growing acceptance elsewhere.</p><p>The National<span class="highlight"> Restaurant </span>Association calls itself the world's largest food service trade association, supporting more than 500,000<span class="highlight"> restaurant </span>businesses.</p><p>The case<span class="highlight"> is </span>National<span class="highlight"> Restaurant </span>Association v.<span class="highlight"> New </span><span class="highlight">York </span><span class="highlight">City </span>Department of Health &amp; Mental Hygiene et al,<span class="highlight"> New </span><span class="highlight">York </span>State Supreme Court,<span class="highlight"> New </span><span class="highlight">York </span>County.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/eyelid-surgery-in-south-korea-2015-11">Why Korean parents are having their kids get plastic surgery before college</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="N3anZreDpn-2nQvRx1Ucqnt93GqH8mTZ" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'N3anZreDpn-2nQvRx1Ucqnt93GqH8mTZ',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The restaurant industry is suing New York City over 'arbitrary' rules regulating salty foods

'In search of the apex and the other side of the mountain': The coronavirus has killed more than 4,100 New Yorkers in just over a month, and the worst is still to come

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52bb3fe46da811566c3aac72-1200-924/martini-alcohol-drink-2.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="martini alcohol drink" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/daspunkt/6957266058/">Flickr/daspunkt</a></span></p></div><p></p></div>People are drinking less but doing so more harmfully. Policymakers want higher prices--causing a headache for the booze industry</p>
<p>BY DAY tourists flock to Plaza de España in central Madrid to snap photos beside the sculpture of Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote". By night a newer facet of Spanish culture is on display: loitering groups of young people downing plastic bottles of whisky and vodka mixed with Fanta Lemon. The ground is littered with empties. Nearby, three young men help a friend vomiting on the pavement.</p>
<p>Such carousing was once rare in Spain. A Mediterranean drinking culture prevailed in which alcohol was taken only with food. That is changing. In Spain and many other rich countries, alcohol intake is becoming a bigger problem--for some groups. Overall, the global consumption of alcohol has been stable since 1990, according to the World Health Organisation. Around half of the planet's population is teetotal. But those who drink alcohol do so more hazardously. Policymakers are looking for ways to address this. A new and much-watched experiment in Scotland, for example, involves setting a minimum price for each unit of alcohol.</p>
<p>Individual consumption peaked in Spain in 1975 but young people are increasingly indulging in the botellón, (literally "big bottle"): drinking outdoors to get drunk. In France, another country with traditionally moderate drinking patterns, a similar trend is emerging. In the past three years hospital admissions from alcohol abuse have risen 30% there, to 400,000 a year. Bingeing is so common that in July it gained an official name, beuverie express. Across much of the rich world, many people (not just the young) are drinking greater quantities in a single session.</p>
<p>Responsible drinkers pose little risk to others. But the growth in hazardous drinking habits has far-reaching implications. Deaths from the overuse of alcohol rose from 750,000 in 1990 to 2.5m in 2011, nearly 4% of all fatalities worldwide. Alcohol causes long-term ill-health, but even a single binge can end in hospital: in Britain, for example, such admissions doubled in 2003-10. It is not only drunks who suffer from their excess. Booze contributes to a third of all deaths on Europe's roads each year and stokes abuse and violence. It features in almost all public-order offences in Ireland; up to 80% of Australian police work is alcohol- and drug-related; across the European Union, it is linked to 65% of domestic violence and 40% of murders. When lower output and higher social costs are taken into account, alcohol costs Europe and America hundreds of billions a year, up to 1.5% of GDP by some estimates.</p>
<p>The industry has introduced some modest schemes to encourage responsible drinking. Governments have stepped up education campaigns; most restrict the sale of alcohol in some regard, by licensing premises, setting opening hours and banning purchases by children. But all that is largely outweighed by another factor: health campaigners say that in many countries booze is simply too cheap.</p>
<p>Increasingly alcohol is drunk at home, rather than in bars or restaurants, and is often deeply discounted. In Britain and Ireland supermarkets frequently sell drinks at or below cost, to lure in customers: cheap strong cider means a Scotsman can reach his recommended weekly drinking limit of 21 units (210ml of pure alcohol)for just £4.62 ($7.50); an Irishwoman can buy her 14 units for EUR6.30 ($8.70). The trend is spreading. Walmart, an American chain, recently started selling beer almost at cost.</p>
<p>The cheaper the liquor, the more people drink. That is not just bar-room wisdom. A 2009 paper in Addiction, a public health journal, reviewed 112 distinct studies of changes in alcohol taxes and found an unambiguous link. This suggested that a 10% price rise in prices would cut consumption by around 5%.</p>
<p>Two groups are particularly price sensitive. Heavy drinkers tend to trade down and seek out cheaper booze to maintain their intake. They drink at home and are likely to die early of alcohol-related illness. Such topers account for a large share of consumption: in Scotland 80% of alcohol is drunk by 30% of boozers. A second category is young and underage merrymakers who often have low or minimal income. They cannot afford to drink as much when prices rise.</p>
<p>Most government initiatives on prices have been tentative. In 1998 Germany introduced a so-called "apple-juice law": in places where booze is consumed, at least one alcohol-free beverage must cost less than the cheapest alcoholic one. This does not deal with domestic consumption, though, which accounts for most hazardous drinking. In 2014 Britain will introduce a ban on selling alcohol at below cost price, but this will affect less than 1% of all booze on sale, according to the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, a British academic consortium. Alcohol duties in some tax-thirsty European countries have been rising for a decade but wine and cider are both taxed by volume, not just strength. That means a sweet wine with 6% alcohol bears the same tax as a riesling with 10%.</p>
<p>More convincing are the efforts of several Canadian provinces, which have a floor price for a unit of each type of alcohol: the stronger a drink, the more it costs. When this policy was introduced in British Columbia in 2002, with an average 10% price increase, an immediate, substantial and significant reduction in wholly alcohol-attributable deaths followed, says Tim Stockwell of the province's University of Victoria. The longer-term effect is striking too. Over the 2002-09 period, figures show a 32% drop in such deaths. In Saskatchewan a similar price rise in 2010 was associated with an 8.4% drop in drinking.</p>
<p>Scotland is raising the bar. In May 2012 its devolved parliament passed an ambitious bill to introduce a minimum unit price of 50p. This would affect the price of 60% of booze on sale: a 70cl bottle of Tesco Value Vodka would rise by around £4.50, to around £13, but classy Smirnoff by only 13p, according to Scottish government calculations. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), a trade body, has challenged the legislation, which was due to come into force in 2013. It would breach European law and could affect exports, says its spokeswoman, Rosemary Gallagher. The SWA lost the case in Scotland's highest civil court, but its appeal will be heard in February. If it loses again, it may appeal to London or to Europe.</p>
<p>Five continental wine-producing nations have joined the fight against Scotland's law. Bulgaria, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain say it is illegal and could hurt their own drinks industries. Cheap plonk (mostly foreign) would suffer more than pricey whisky (mostly domestic), they say.</p>
<p>What happens in Scotland will affect policy elsewhere; other governments are watching the legal battle with interest. One house of the Swiss parliament has already voted for a minimum price though the other voted against. New Zealand is considering a bill. The British government pulled back from an earlier plan to introduce a nationwide floor price but may reconsider its policy if Scotland's proves successful; some English councils are trying to introduce minimum pricing rules locally. The Irish cabinet is discussing a similar notion but awaits the Scots' verdict.</p>
<p>For all their reputation as a nation of soaks, Scots actually constitute a small market. The SWA says its big concern is other countries introducing similar bills if the Scottish legislation goes ahead. The real fear is of "contagion", agrees Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: "Scotland shows Europe what is possible." Just as bans on indoor smoking spread rapidly from country to country, the Scottish decision on the price of booze could raise drink prices all over the world. A sobering thought in the festive season.</p>
<p>Click <a href="https://subscriptions.economist.com/nwcd">here</a> to subscribe to The Economist</p>
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