Businesses Tackle Plastic Bags

IKEA Canada to halve plastic bag use

As part of its continuing pursuit of long-term environmental sustainability, IKEA Canada is taking actions to help reduce plastic bag use. IKEA customers currently use 25 million plastic bags across the country and the goal is to cut this number to 12.5 million by the end of July 2008. Starting October 22, 2007, IKEA Canada will begin charging five cents for plastic bags, donating all proceeds from the sale of plastic bags to Tree Canada, the company’s long-term environmental partner. Tree Canada will use the funds to plant trees throughout Canada and help offset carbon dioxide emissions. To further promote environmentally responsible habits, IKEA will continue to sell its iconic reusable Blue Bag for one dollar.

Loblaw goes bagless, plastic companies unaffected – for now

Loblaw Cos. Inc. president and CEO Galen Weston announced recently that the new Real Canadian Superstore in Milton, Ontario, will open at the end of August as Loblaw’s first bagless store.

The new bagless store compliments the company’s plan to eliminate up to 1 billion plastic bags and is yet another blow to plastics manufacturers. According to one plastics industry analyst, bagless stores are not yet likely to make a material impact on the industry, but it is another push in a growing worldwide trend towards the elimination of plastics through recycling programs and community- and corporate-based plastic bans.

Recycling isn't in the bag just yet

Nearly a year after Ontario's second largest supermarket chain began selling environmentally friendly reusable grocery bags, it's had almost no impact on the number of plastic bags used in its stores. A&P Canada, which operates the Dominion stores in Ontario, says it's sold 500,000 of the reusable bags since last June in a bid to cut waste. But very few customers are in fact reusing them, at least not to buy groceries, the supermarket chain said. "I've seen them at the beach. I'm told they make great knitting bags, too," said A&P spokesperson Tammy Smitham. But when it comes to the next food shopping trip, consumers just can't get into the habit of bringing them back, she said.

UK Waitrose tries bag-free

UK supermarket Waitrose became the latest supermarket to encourage its customers to reuse carrier bags by removing them entirely from one of its stores. For a two-week period in May, shoppers at the retailer's Hill Street branch in Saffron Walden will be expected to provide their own bags, be it recycled plastic ones from a previous shop or the store's 'bags for life'.

The two-week ban is part of a wider experiment, which sees Waitrose launch plastic bag-free 'green checkouts' at stores around the country.

In a survey carried out before the trial was announced, 90% of customers at the store said they were in favour of the scheme, and for the two week period Waitrose issued them ‘bags for life’ for free.

[Ed. Note: I can’t find out what Waitrose did after the two-week trial. There is lots of info on the trial, none on the result.]

Plastics Industry touts its bag reduction efforts

The plastics industry has been a leader in diversion efforts, with plastic shopping bags currently representing less than one percent of landfill waste.

The industry has also been proactively promoting reduction by educating retail checkout personnel and consumers in proper bagging techniques - how to use fewer bags to carry more goods. As well, the industry has 'lightweighted' the product over the years so that bags now use far less plastic but are just as strong.

With respect to re-use, plastic shopping bags serve many functions after they are used to transport goods from stores: 79 per cent of Ontario consumers reuse their plastic shopping bags two or more times—as trash bin liners, for example, or to pick up after their pets.

Plastic shopping bags are recyclable. They can be made into new bags or into a range of manufactured goods, such as plastic lumber. In fact, recycled plastic products now constitute a $2 billion market in North America that is growing 14 per cent a year.

Plastic bag manufacturers, re-processors and recyclers have invested millions of dollars in infrastructure, and now employ thousands of Canadians.

(Source: Canadian Plastics Industry Association in August 2007 WasteWatch)

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