Morrisons has launched a trial that could see all its plastic 'bags for life' replaced with paper alternatives. The supermarket chain will offer strong paper bags in eight stores from Monday, with a view to rolling them out across all 494 branches if customer feedback is positive.
The paper bags are designed to carry up to 16kg and hold as many as 13 bottles of wine, matching the capacity of their plastic counterparts. Morrisons said evidence suggests many shoppers are using plastic bags for life only once before discarding them, contributing to waste.
If the trial leads to a full replacement, Morrisons estimates it would save 90 million plastic bags annually, equivalent to 3,510 tonnes of plastic. Chief executive David Potts said: 'We believe customers are ready to stop using plastic carrier bags as they want to reduce the amount of plastic they have in their lives and keep it out of the environment.'
Waitrose has also announced plans to trial the removal of bags for life later this year. Meanwhile, Tesco and Sainsbury's defended their use of the bags, noting that they are made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic. Sainsbury's is trialling a return to bagless deliveries, which were paused during the pandemic.
The trial stores are located in Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Bristol, Abergavenny and Paisley. The move follows the introduction of a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags in England in 2015, which led to a significant reduction in their use.
