British retailer
Marks & Spencer says shopper demand for plastic bags has plummeted 80%
since it began charging for the bags in early
May.
Marks & Spencer says it has saved 70 million plastic bags in the ten weeks
since instituting a ten-cent surcharge per bag. The retailer has so far raised
more than $400,000 from the charge, which it will donate to local parks and
public gardens.
"It is fair to say that
M&S’ carrier bag charging policy has provoked a lot of debate but these
figures show that the overwhelming majority of our customers support charging
and are already helping us to make a huge difference by bringing their own bags
in with them when they shop with us," says Sir Stuart Rose, M&S
chairman.
The policy is part of the company's
sustainability program, Plan A which aims to reduce
carrier bag usage by a third and to have no waste from its operations go to
landfill by 2012.
Ikea is seeing similar success charging
its customers for bags - its plastic bag use is down 90%.
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