Tesco will end the sale of its single use carrier bags, making all its customers buy the ‘bags for life’ if they forget a carrier at the checkout.
The supermarket giant is following its rivals Sainsbury’s and Lidl to phase out single use carriers, and replace all shopping bags with a ten pence reusable bag.
The move will be implemented from August 28. Tesco presented the strategy as a boon for charities and sustainability, but it could reduce donations and increase its plastic volume.
Tesco bag
Rules brought in by the British Government in 2015, forcing supermarkets to charge 5p for single-use bags and give the proceeds to charity, made sure companies made a loss on single use bags as they could not recover the expense of production.
With ten pence ‘bags for life’, Tesco will keep four pence, donate four pence to charity and pay the rest in VAT – increasing revenue from bags and reducing the amount given to good causes.
The supermarket could also save millions of pounds by forcing customers to return with reusable bags and negating the cost of single use carriers, whilst recouping value as recyclate.
The switch to one type of bag will increase the amount of plastic sold, as the bags for life are more durable and are made of a denser material. The design used in Tesco comprises 94 per cent recycled plastic in the bag. Tesco admitted its bag sales would need to halve to reduce the level of plastic sold, a point it hopes to reach by mid-2018.
Matt Davies, Tesco CEO for Britain and Ireland, 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. It’s the right thing to do for the environment and for local communities.”
Home deliveries will still be offered with single use bags, though Tesco said 57 per cent of delivery customers opted for bagless delivery. Single-use wine carriers will also be scrapped.