Plastic free dining is coming to Hoi An - one place at a time

One of the fascinating things about my recent travels has been watching the efforts of small cafes across the globe, to minimise single-use plastic in their operations. In the past few months I’ve been to Spain, France, the UK, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam. As far as I can work out, large players are MIA when it comes to reducing plastic waste. Seeing huge amounts of plastic heading out the doors of international cafe chains in takeaway cups isn’t great. Seeing people drinking in those sames cafes from plastic cups is ridiculous. It’s a bad coffee experience and a bad environmental experience. The idea that a global giant like Starbucks exports its low standards on single-use plastic to developing countries like Vietnam is especially troubling. It seems to be the small businesses that are making a difference. Last week I was reminded of this in Hoi An at a gorgeous little cafe that serves delicious food and drink - and it’s plastic-free. Rosie’s Cafe, run by two young local women in a lovely old town space (Thuy is pictured) is a Hoi An standout even before you know it’s plastic-free. And if you think the whole plastic thing is a fad, it probably is for those who have only removed plastic straws from their businesses. Those who are removing plastic water bottles and packaging are having a real impact. And they’re creating awareness. That awareness is what is driving governments to take more serious action - the end objective of any campaign. More and more cities and countries are opting out of single-use plastic completely. That’s no fad. Some environmentalists question the emphasis on plastic pollution as a distraction from global warming action. Climate change poses an even greater risk they say (including the flights we travellers love). But we’re gonna need to be able to fight more than one battle at a time. Plastic pollution and climate change should be part of the same conversation. Congratulations to the team behind Rosie’s Cafe in Hoi An. Love your place! We'll be a adding a guide to plastic-free dining and drinking in Hoi An soon. You'll find Rosie's and the best of Hoi An's dining scene in our independent eating guide.