Concern that shoppers are throwing away bags for life after one use has prompted Lidl to remove them from sale in a trial.
In a UK supermarket first, Lidl will stop selling 9p bags in Wales from 1 May. If successful, the initiative will be extended to each of Lidl’s 740 UK stores, saving up to a claimed 2,500 tonnes of plastic annually, or 80 million bags.
After the withdrawal of 5p bags a year ago, sales analysis showed an increasing number of shoppers were treating the stronger 9p alternative as single-use, Lidl said.
The trial in 54 Welsh stores is expected to save 150 tonnes of plastic a year, or five million bags.
Read more: Aldi eliminates 5p single-use plastic bags
Customers will still be able to buy a 38p heavy duty bag or 65p freezer bag. An additional bag made from cotton and jute is set to be introduced this summer.
The 5p bags Lidl scrapped last year were already intended as reusable. The discounter ditched single-use bags, also at 5p, in 2017.
“We’re proud of our work at Lidl to reduce plastic across our stores, and particularly the steps we have taken over the years to reduce sales of plastic carrier bags,” said Lidl UK CEO Christian Härtnagel.
“After seeing that our 9p reusable bag was increasingly being used as a single-use option, we wanted to look at how we could mitigate this pattern. Through this trial, we will be able to fully assess the impact that removing our 9p plastic bags has in helping customers shift to a fully reusable option.”
Concern that shoppers are throwing away bags for life after one use has prompted Lidl to remove them from sale in a trial.
In a UK supermarket first, Lidl will stop selling 9p bags in Wales from 1 May. If successful, the initiative will be extended to each of Lidl’s 740 UK stores, saving up to a claimed 2,500 tonnes of plastic annually, or 80 million bags.
After the withdrawal of 5p bags a year ago, sales analysis showed an increasing number of shoppers were treating the stronger 9p alternative as single-use, Lidl said.
The trial in 54 Welsh stores is expected to save 150 tonnes of plastic a year, or five million bags.
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