excess-baggage

Plastic bags are deeply embedded in the everyday lives of Cambodians. Found everywhere, from bustling markets to quiet homes, they represent more than just convenience; they are a sign of a society in transition. Yet, this convenience comes at a heavy environmental cost.

Cambodia, like many of its neighbors, faces a growing plastic pollution problem. Streets, waterways, and landfills are increasingly clogged with plastic waste, highlighting the urgent need for action. Funded by the European Union through the Switch Asia Programme, and implemented by ACRA along with national and local government bodies, Quicksand was tasked with envisioning a strategy to reduce the negative impact of plastic bags in Cambodia’s major cities.

Where We Began

The first step was understanding the depth and complexity of plastic bag usage. Global experiences show that simply banning or taxing bags isn’t enough, solutions needed to be rooted in local behavior, attitudes, and needs.

Quicksand’s approach centered around ensuring that solutions were shaped by the people who live, sell, shop, and work in Cambodia. We believed that true change would depend on these people -  consumers, vendors, waste workers, and many others, embracing new behaviors and systems.

Digging Deep: How We Did It

Our research focused on the real-world habits and motivations behind plastic bag use across three major cities: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville. We worked closely with four key groups:

• Retailers and Wholesalers
• Consumers and End Users
• Plastic Bag Suppliers and Producers
• Waste Managers and Recyclers

To build a complete picture, we also held conversations with experts across sectors — from environmental scientists to policy makers — exploring topics like the environmental and health impact of plastics, emerging alternatives, trends in retail and consumption, Cambodia’s economic activity and governance structures and the role of community networks. 

We knew from the start that displacing plastic bags would not be easy. Plastic is cheap, functional, and deeply entrenched in modern consumption habits. Any alternative would need to offer comparable (if not better) levels of convenience, accessibility, visibility, and affordability.

We designed a range of solutions — from new materials and products to changes in services and systems — and tested them directly in Cambodian markets. This helped us to understand, refine, and iterate based on real-time feedback from users.

One example of a focus area was buying perishables at local wet markets, which represented an opportunity to change daily habits especially of older women shoppers and vendors. Here, we saw a strong chance to reduce the use of cheap, colored plastic bags, as long as new ideas respected existing reuse habits and market realities.

By placing the daily realities, motivations, and behaviors of Cambodian consumers and retailers at the heart of our  research and design efforts, we were able to uncover insights that traditional top-down approaches often miss. Behavioral research and design allowed us to move beyond surface-level assumptions, recognizing, for example, the entrepreneurial spirit of micro-retailers, the deep-rooted rituals around market shopping, and the surprisingly positive perceptions thatplastic bags have when it comes to aspects of customer service. This grounded understanding shaped solutions that are not only environmentally viable, but also socially and culturally resonant, ensuring a higher chance of adoption and real, sustained impact.