The Southern Co-Op is removing all single-use carrier bags and plastic bags for life from sale, instead urging shoppers to switch to reusable bags to help tackle climate change.
Southern Co-op, which has just over 200 convenience stores across the south of England, including here on the Isle of Wight, is hoping to deter customers from treating bags for life as if they were single-use.
One alternative will be compostable carrier bags available for 10p which are a more environmentally responsible choice and have a secondary use as a food waste caddy liner in the home.
The bags are certified compostable and can be collected as part of Local Authority household food waste collections or are suitable for use in home compost bins.
Gemma Lacey, Director for Sustainability and Communications at Southern Co-op, has said:
“For years we have been asking our customers and members to bring bags with them so this is naturally the next step – removing the option of buying single use plastic bags or using a plastic bag for life as the next cheapest alternative.
“We have a duty to act against climate change and to give our customers a way to be more environmentally responsible. However, as our stores are based on convenience, we understand that people might not be carrying a bag with them, so the compostable bag is a more responsible alternative to plastic.”
Plastic bags for life are being replaced by durable fold away bags and large shoppers with a current price of £1 to encourage customers to reuse them instead of treating them as single-use.
The switch has already taken place in many stores with other changeovers taking place over the next month or so as stores work through the remaining stock of existing bags.
I’m a bit lost,bag for life is reusable time after time,hence bag for life was introduced. Not that I use co-op anyhow as to expensive and poor quality food.
Absolutely, poor quality and expensive…other retailers are far superior, well stocked and much cheaper..
And there staff are a bit weird.
Pretty rude and always got the ump.
And always judgemental of what you are purchasing, always gossiping about people and customers.
It reminds me of some sort of cult, and they are all related.
So now I buy my Cider from elsewhere.
Oh yeh pay a £1 instead of 10p. Seems like profiteering under let’s go green policy. We won’t need 1 as there’s hardly anything on the shelves to buy. When you ask the staff if they have an item all you get in reply is we are a convenience shop. I’m sorry but I don’t think that is convenient at all