Japan Will Reward Eco-friendly Shopping

The government of Japan will begin a system that gives points to shoppers when they buy eco-friendly products, for example appliances that do not use a lot of energy. The points can be used like money to buy goods or services.

On Tuesday, the Environment Ministry said that 26 businesses, local governments, and non-profit organizations will participate. The ministry will pay for part of the program that begins in August.

The shopping center company Aeon Mall will give points to customers who do not take plastic spoons and forks when they buy take-out food.

Ashe is an organization that wants to reduce food waste. They are planning to work with the supermarket company Summit and will give points to customers who buy food that expires soon.

Online shopping company Rakuten will give points to customers who buy clothes made from recycled material. Shoppers who buy eco-friendly appliances or products with simple packaging will also get points.

People who use car-sharing services or use less electricity at home can also get points with this program.

The Japanese government is looking for more companies and partners to use the point system.

Vocabulary

• Point – in Japan, 1 point = ¥1; a point can be used like money
• Eco-friendly – not bad for the planet, doesn’t hurt the Earth, not harmful to the environment
• Appliance – a machine like toaster, oven, microwave, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.
• Environment – the natural world, the place we live, the area around us, nature
• Ministry – a department of the government
• non-profit organization (NPO) – a group or company that does not earn profit; often a charity
• Participate – to do with, to take part in, to join, cooperate
• Take-out – food that is not eaten where you buy it, food that you take away and eat in a different place
• Reduce – to make smaller, to make less, to make down
• Expire – the end of a period of time, the finish period, the time to stop, run out, to be over; to go bad 
• made from – how something is made, to explain what material is in the final product
• Recycled – material that is being used again, material that was changed; reused
• Electricity – power, current, energy used to operate lights, TVs, etc.

Original story from NHK below:

www3.nhk.or.jp

Japan to help reward eco-friendly purchases | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Japan’s government is set to begin a system for awarding consumers points for eco-friendly acts such as buying energy-conserving household appliances. Points can be exchanged for goods or services.