August 18, 2008

Tesco Saves 2 Billion Plastic Bags

Tesco recently announced it has saved 2 billion plastic bags in about two years without adding a bag tax or charging for the plastic bags. Since the supermarket launched Green Clubcard Points in 2006, plastic bag usage by Tesco customers is down 40 percent compared with the same period two years ago.

It took Tesco more than 14 months to save the first billion bags, but Lucy Nevill-Rolfe, Tesco’s legal affairs director, said, “the second billion was achieved in less than 9 months, showing that the trend is rapidly gaining support.”

The supermarket reminds its customers to bring their shopping bags by sending its 12 million Clubcard customers new key fob reminders and placing reminder banners in store parks. Tesco has also made switching to reusable bags more appealing by enlisting well-known designers to design reusable bags.

In other green moves, the supermarket announced in July that its Goole Distribution Center will be powered with a straw-powered combined heat and power plant. Tesco has also been testing carbon labels on about 70,000 of its brand products since May.

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