The EMS for the super markets includes waste management, use of environment-friendly products, environment campaign and training.

This was stated yesterday at a videoconferencing seminar on 'Promoting environment education,' organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at its conference room in the city.

Manager of the Seiyu Ltd, one of the largest chain retailers of Japan, Kazunari Take and Fumie Ooka of the Japan Environment Association gave two lectures from Tokyo of Japan through the videoconference while environment experts from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia joined it from the JICA offices in their respective countries.

The seminar presented two case studies, including Seiyu, which has 404 retail stores in Japan, and Junior Eco Club, a networking organisation of Japanese school children, which have taken environment awareness raising initiatives.

Kazunari said they usually maintain four environmental activities, including selling of environment-friendly products, energy reduction, organising training and workshop for their staff and local community.

"We set boxes at a corner of every store where our clients throw various waste, including paper milk cartons, toilet papers, food trays, plastic and PET bottles," he said adding that "Recycling companies take the waste from our stores which reduce our waste caring cost."

Besides, to increase the corporate value, the company promotes some campaigns like 100 yen will be paid when a customer refuses to receive plastic shopping bags for 20 times.

Replying to a question from Bangladesh, Kazunari informed that no ban on use of plastic bags has yet been imposed in Japan though the government formed a legislation to reduce use of plastic from last year.

Later, Operation Manager of Agora, a chain shops of Bangladesh, Shams Haider told BSS that they are also planning to set some big boxes to collect and separate the waste.