Coop Sweden is taking steps to encourage its customers to use less plastic bags, in line with the country's new regulations.
A new law has been introduced in Sweden, coming into effect on 1 June, which requires retailers to inform customers about the environmental impact of plastic bags, in an effort to reduce annual consumption to 90 bags per person by 2019.
Initiatives
Coop Sweden has already introduced several initiatives to reduce plastic bag usage in its stores.
In 2014, the retailer stopped selling oil-based plastic bags, replacing them with more environmentally-friendly alternatives made from sugar cane and recycled materials.
The bags cost SEK 2 each, in an effort to discourage customers from using more bags than they need.
Future Plans
Coop Sweden says that it supports the new law, and has designed a marketing campaign reminding customers to reduce and reuse their plastic bags.
For each plastic bag sold, Coop gives 3 cents to the Vi-Skogen forestry company. Last year the company donated over SEK 3.2 million, which allowed for 163,983 new trees to be planted.
The retailer says that additional initiatives will be rolled out over the coming months.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
