British retailer Tesco is set to replace its single-use carrier bags with a new ‘Bag for Life’ made from 94% recycled plastic from 28 August.
Tesco has already conducted a ten-week trial in Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich, where sales of bags decreased by 25% as many customers switched to the replaceable Bag for Life.
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The supermarket currently sells more than 700 million single-use bags each year though it noted to have reduced the number by 1.5 billion following the introduction of the carrier bag charge in 2015.
The removal of single-use carrier bags is expected to significantly reduce litter and bags sent to landfill.
Tesco UK and ROI CEO Matt Davies said: “The number of bags being bought by our customers has already reduced dramatically.
“Today’s move will help our customers use even fewer bags but ensure that those sold in our stores continue to fund thousands of community projects across the country chosen by customers.”
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By GlobalDataOnline customers can still opt for single-use carrier bags or choose bagless delivery.
All proceeds received from selling the new Bag for Life, priced at £0.10, will be used to fund Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.
Since its introduction in 2015, Bags of Help scheme has provided more than £33m to nearly 6,400 local community projects.
Besides announcing the introduction of Bag of Life, Tesco will also remove single-use wine carriers and has decided to decrease the price of its ‘Carry me bottle bag’ from £1 to £0.40.
Image: Tesco decided to replace single-use carrier bags with new ‘Bag for Life’. Photo: courtesy of Tesco.
