UK retailers criticised over plastic bags

Date: 24 July 2009. Posted in Industry News

The world's largest manufacturer of 'bags for life' has criticised UK retailers for not doing more to restrict the use of plastic carrier bags and warned that the UK is lagging behind other countries after failing to agree a national policy involving an outright ban.

Supreme Creations, based in India, makes millions of cotton and jute bags every year for retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, the Co-operative, Debenham's, the Energy Saving Trust, Oxfam and Topshop, as well as celebrity handbag designer Anya Hindmarch who designed the sought after 'I'm not a plastic bag' bag for Sainsbury's.

Sunday night after receiving an environmental award from the Prince of Wales's Business in the Community charity, the founder of the company said the 'crucial environmental issue' appeared not to be a priority for British retailers and urged them to do more to catch up with international competitors.

Dr R Sri Ram, who founded Supreme Creations 12 years ago, said: 'The UK lags way behind many other countries in the world on reducing plastic bag usage. Supreme Creations has really seen this issue drop off retailers' agendas recently, perhaps due to economic difficulties.

'However, it is the responsibility of retailers to work with consumers to come up with innovative alternatives to help people switch from environmentally damaging plastic bags.'

Unlike Ireland, India, South Africa, most of Europe and parts of the USA, the UK has not banned or imposed a tax on single-use bags. But some retailers have been more pioneering than others with Tesco, the Co-op and Boots each producing their own reusable bags.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will shortly announce the progress made towards meeting a national target of 50 per cent reduction in plastic bag usage.

Its figures show that while 45 per cent of shoppers say they have bought a bag for life, only 12 per cent use one regularly.

Source: Environmental-Expert.com

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