The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that Tesco is the retailer that has distributed the most £0.05 plastic bags in the UK over the last 12 months.
Customers purchased 637 million bags over the last year in Tesco supermarkets, compared to 51 million in Sainsbury’s, and 165 million in Asda. However, Tesco is also the top supermarket in the country with 27.8% market share, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
Plastic Bag Levy
Last year, Tesco reported a considerable fall in its distribution of plastic bags after the government introduced a £0.05 levy on the items.
As quoted by the Telegraph, a Tesco spokesperson said, “We’re encouraging our customers to use fewer single-use bags, and since the introduction of the Bag Levy in 2015, the number being bought at Tesco has decreased by 80%".
“The money raised from our customers buying bags is making a big difference to local communities across the country, with over £30 million being provided to more than 4,600 community projects as part of Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative.”
Last week the UK government reported that the number of plastic carrier bags handed out by large stores in England fell by 83% overall since the introduction of the levy.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
