A far-reaching single-use plastic ban has the potential to be an opportunity for promotional products companies.

The Honolulu City Council in Hawaii voted this week to pass Bill 40, which prohibits businesses and restaurants in Honolulu County – home to 70% of the state’s residents – from providing plastic straws, plastic utensils and polystyrene foam containers. The Council oversees the entire island of Oahu, and had banned grocery store plastic bags in 2015.

The first phase of Bill 40, a prohibition on polystyrene foam, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021; the second phase, which will officially outlaw all single-use plastic, will go into effect in 2022.

After months of hearings, Bill 40 has passed its final City Council hearing!

It is on its way to @MayorKirkHNL for final approval. Once signed, the bill will begin phasing out #singleuseplastic on January 1, 2021 and be fully implemented in 2022. pic.twitter.com/qAlKYrlbFr

— ResilientOAHU (@ResilientOAHU) December 5, 2019

Previously, Hawaii Island (also known as the Big Island) and Maui County, comprised of the islands of Maui and Molokai, passed bans on foam containers but not utensils.

While plastic bans in cities and municipalities across the country have increased significantly over the past several years, Hawaii is especially burdened by the problem of plastic pollution. Due to its geographic location, its world-renowned beaches frequently collect plastic originating from around the world.

However, business groups have argued that a plastic ban would compel smaller businesses to raise their prices, making goods even more expensive on an island chain where the cost of living is high since it relies heavily on imports for daily living.

The Honolulu City Council did take concerns into account; Bill 40 excludes plastic on items such as chips, bread and ice, as well as those used for vegetables, ground coffee, raw fish and meat, and newspapers.

“While [the bill] is still not perfect, it did enough to alleviate our concerns,” Paul Kosasa, CEO of ABC Stores, a Hawaiian general store chain, told the Huffington Post. He was initially against the ban but now supports it after the Council took local business needs into account. Kosasa says the exemptions for raw meat and fish are imperative for keeping food safe for customers.

“There’s more things that have to happen to it but there’s been enough changes to it that gives us some time to become more eco-friendly,” he added.

Distributors on the island have seen an uptick in reusable options, especially bags since the initial ban in 2015. “We’ve seen more requests for non-woven bags since then,” says Judy Goo, president of D&J Specialties (asi/174019) in Honolulu. “There’s been a movement away from non-woven to cotton and nylon, because non-woven will tear and disintegrate over time. So we’re seeing clients spend more for reusable bags.”

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