Supermarkets and their customers have reduced the number of ‘single-use’ carrier bags being handed out for the fourth year in a row, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
Since independent monitoring began in 2006, the number handed out in the UK each year has been cut by 4.6bn. Over the same period, the total weight of material used has more than halved.
With sales volumes having risen by more than 6% over the same period, this achievement is a “ringing endorsement” of the voluntary approach which rejects compulsory bag bans or taxes in favour of allowing retailers to use a range of methods that work best for their own customers.
Without any need for legislation, annual totals for use of ‘single-use’ bags have fallen every year since 2006. In the year to May 2010, 43% fewer bags were handed out than in 2006. When bags of all types are counted the reduction over that time is 4%, showing this is a genuine gain not simply a case of thin plastic bags being replaced by other types.
Stephen Robertson, BRC director general, 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 6%. The sustained reduction shows that customers are permanently adopting the habit of re-using their bags.
“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.”
Source: British Retail Consortium (BRC)
