CorpComms Magazine

UK supermarkets have recorded a 43 per cent reduction in the use of carrier bags over the last four years.

In the period 2009-2010, shoppers at British retailers Asda, the Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose used 6.1 billion plastic and canvas bags, compared to 10.7 billion in 2006. More encouraging still, the number of single-use plastic bags dropped by 48 per cent in the same period.

The weight of thin-gauge disposable polyethylene bags used was significantly reduced between May 2006 and May 2009, but re-usable polyethylene 'bags for life' gained weight over the same period, potentially increasing their longevity and thus making longer-term carbon savings. 

The reductions are partly in response to a voluntary pledge by the British Retail Consortium to cut the number of bags given to consumers by 50 per cent by spring 2009. The Waste & Resources Action Programme reported that the retailers came close to their target with an average reduction of 48 per cent across their branches.

Stephen Robertson, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'This is a tremendous achievement by supermarkets, customers and staff, especially as between 2006 and 2009 the amount of goods sold by participating retailers grew by over six per cent. The sustained reduction shows that customers are permanently adopting the habit of re-using their bags.

'The continuous decrease in total annual bag use demonstrates the voluntary approach continues to make good progress through individual retailer initiatives that take customers with them.

'The reduction in bag use is great news, but it's the halving of the total weight of single-use carrier bags which shows retailers really scoring on the crucial issue of reducing environmental impact.

'Retailers are working hard on a range of other environmental measures, such as reducing food waste, reducing and redesigning packaging, as well as providing customers with recycling information through the on-pack recycling label.'

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