The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag has renewed its partnership with major retailers to advance its commitment to eliminate single-use bag waste. 

Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy manages this industry collaboration. 

The aforementioned retailers include CVS Health, Target, Kroger, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Meijer, and Walmart.  

The strengthened commitment, which builds upon four years of collaborative work and research, will enable the consortium to continue expanding its bag waste reduction and reuse strategies. 

In addition to the renewed collaboration, the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag is releasing its latest report, 'Sparking a National Culture Shift to Reduce Plastic Bag Waste'. 

The report shares insights from its 2023 reusable bag trials across Denver, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona, in the US.  

The trials involved 160 retailers across these regions and resulted in nearly a 5% drop in single-use plastic bag transactions. 

This indicated a potential annual elimination of up to 9.5 million bags in the test regions alone.  

These findings will guide the consortium's future efforts to amplify its bag waste reduction strategies on a larger scale.  

Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners managing director and head Kate Daly said: "100 billion single-use plastic bags are used in the US every year. From the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag's work over the last four years, we know that retailer collaboration and customer engagement are critical to making single-use bag waste a thing of the past. 

“The consortium is proud to bring retail industry leaders together in a renewed commitment to making circular strategies a reality on the ground. As we expand from ideation to implementation of solutions that support customers and reduce single-use bag waste, we aim to drive a cultural change toward reduction and reuse."