Asda parent company Wal-Mart has pledged to cut its global plastic shopping bag waste by an average 33% per store by 2013.
The move will eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic waste globally, Wal-Mart says.
“By reducing the number of plastic bags our customers use, increasing the availability and affordability of reusable bags and providing recycling solutions, we think we can eliminate plastic waste equivalent to nine billion plastic bags per year from our existing stores alone,” said Matt Kistler, senior vice president for sustainability of Wal-Mart Stores.
As part of the plan, Wal-Mart stores in the USA and Mexico are introducing new, more affordable reusable bags.
The commitment to cutting waste includes a 25% reduction from US stores and a 50% reduction from international operations.
