Green: Tesco Ends 5p Plastic Bags

Finally some good news for eco-warriors. Donald Trump might have pulled out of the Paris agreement and Michael Gove may engender little confidence but the largest seller of single-use carrier bags in Britain is getting rid of single-use carrier bags for good.

Bye-Bye Bags

Tesco announced that it is ending the sale of 5p bags across the UK on August 28. The only plastic carrier bags available after that will be its 10p “bags for life”, which are made from 94% recycled plastic and will be replaced by Tesco for free if damaged or worn out.

The move comes after the supermarket conducted trials in Aberdeen, Norwich and Dundee. Tesco removed the option of single-use plastic bags and found a 25% reduction in the overall number bought. The extra 5p for a bag prodded customers to bring their own or go without. Tesco has seemingly discovered the magic threshold where a customer’s convenience comes second to expense.

The company’s new 5p bag ban should have a big environmental impact. The supermarket is the UK’s largest seller of single-use plastic bags: it sold 637m of them in the last year. That is nothing compared to what it used to get through; since the 2015 legislation the number has fallen by an incredible 1.5 billion. Tesco is now looking to reduce that number even further to cut the amount of plastic that ends up in landfill.

Eco-friendly, People-friendly

The 10p “bags for life” aren’t just better for the environment. The supermarket giant donates the money made from them to community projects. It’s a wonderfully altruistic system but one imposed by the government: large retailers aren’t allowed to make a profit from selling plastic bags and the proceeds must go to charities and non-profits. Overall the charge-for-charity raised more than £66m in 2016-17.

The success of the plastic bag charge is undeniable: since October 2015, England’s use of plastic bags has dropped by 83%. With this new move it should plummet further and hopefully encourage other retailers to follow suit. Tesco isn’t the first major supermarket to discard the single-use bags. Sainsbury’s did away with them soon after the introduction of the charge on free carriers, opting instead for a reusable and more durable 5p version.

England was of course the last part of the UK to adopt the free bag ban. Wales led the way in 2011 and reduced its plastic bag use by 71%. Northern Ireland followed in 2013 and Scotland joined the gang in 2014. Too often England is left limping behind the rest when it comes to good policy reforms. Whether it is opt-out organ donation or single-use carriers, England is far too happy to sit and watch the trailblazers from the sidelines.

Much More To Do

Some countries have gone a lot further in the fight on plastic bags. Bangladesh, China, South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda, Botswana, Kenya and Ethiopia all have total bans on non-biodegradable plastic bags. Mexico fines supermarkets for providing them. Rwandan security guards will search through bags at the country’s airports – not just for contraband or weapons but also for plastic bags. The UK’s 5p levy is child’s play in comparison.

While environmental groups have praised Tesco’s move, there’s still so much more to be done. Plastic bags were a nationwide addiction that we’re slowly kicking but the supermarket shelves are still stacked with single-serve sachets, non-recyclable plastics, excessive packaging and unnecessary bags. Even simple changes make a big dent in plastic consumption, such as swapping fruit and vegetable bags from plastic to paper (or, perish the thought, not using a bag at all).

While supermarkets have had their hands forced by bans, some like Tesco are clearly willing to go the extra environmental mile but they can only do so much if the products they sell don’t toe the line too. The recent announcement that plastic microbeads will be banned from wash-off products is welcome but it’s just one loose thread. There’s still a whole tightly-knitted, plastic-filled problem to unravel and it’s the Government and Michael Gove’s job to keep pulling until it does.

by Jo Davey

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