What Are The Exemptions To The Carrier Bag Charge?
Since the UK introduced the 5p carrier bag charge in 2015, the amount of single-use carrier bags being given out by major retailers has reduced by 85%. This equates to a drop from 140 to 25 bags for the average person per year. That’s quite a result, and while the charge only applies to […]
The Carrier Bag Tax: where is your money going?
We’ve all been paying the carrier bag charge for a couple of years now, but do you actually know where your money is going? Let’s face it – it’s irritating when you forget to take your carefully folded bag-for-life to the supermarket, and even more irritating when you think that the supermarket is making a […]
Tesco To End Sales of Single Use Plastic Bags
Tesco have announced that they will no longer be selling their 5p single-use plastic bags from 28th August. They announced this change after conducting trials in three UK cities; Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich. The outcome showed a 25% cut in bag sales with customers buying bags for life or bringing their own reusable bags. Tesco’s […]
How to use the carrier bag levy to your advantage
Whilst the introduction of the carrier bag levy was well received with regards to the positive impact it can have on our environment, it’s clear that for the retailers themselves, it’s caused them a lot more hassle. Not only do single use carrier bags need to continue to be produced, but the customer has to be […]
The Carrier Bag Charge: 6 months on
The introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge in England back in October 2015 has affected millions – we’ve probably all visited a supermarket in that time, and either sighed at having to pay that bit extra on our bill, or sighed because we forgot to bring our resuable bags for life with us! It’s […]
What impact has the 5p carrier bag charge had so far?
It’s been around 4 months since the 5p carrier bag charge was introduced in England – but what kind of impact has it had on our shopping habits so far? Designed to benefit both the environment and worthy causes by forcing retailers to charge customers 5p for plastic carrier bags that meet a certain specification, […]
Tesco see 80% drop from plastic bag charge in England
New data from Tesco shows there’s been around an 80% reduction in shoppers taking home carrier bags from their stores since the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge in England. Launching in October 2015, the English government gave the 5p carrier bag charge the go ahead in an effort to try and reduce the country’s […]
How to be the number one choice of reusable printed bags.
We know the carrier bag tax has had a huge impact on the consumer’s decision on whether to take a carrier bag when purchasing their shopping. You only have to look at the statistics to see this, or, even watch what happens the next time you are shopping. A lot of people are now choosing […]
Plastic bag use in Scotland drops 80% after 5p bag charge
Recent figures have shown that in the past 12 months since the 5p plastic bag charge came into effect in Scotland, there has been a reduction of around 650 million, or 80% in the amount of bags used. This has resulted in around 4,000 tonnes of bags being taken out of the landfill system, and supermarkets […]
5p Plastic Bag Charge Will Not Affect SMEs
DEFRA has confirmed that the incoming 5p plastic bag charge will not apply to small businesses with fewer than 250 full time equivalent employees. The 5p charge on ‘single use’ bags, which has now been defined as a lightweight bag of a plastic material with handles, is to come into effect in October 2015, […]
The Importance of Brand Awareness
Creating a strong and effective brand is one of the best ways to promote a business. If you provide a high level of service and a good product to your customers your brand will become synonymous with these traits, creating a conscious and subconscious bond between business and customer. If you think of strong global […]
Washable paper bags are this year’s greenest bargain
Anyone who follows our news section will know that we’ve previously reported on a fashion trend for bags and purses that look like brown paper lunch bags. Some of those ‘paper’ bags even retailed for over £200 each. This week, we’ve uncovered a similar range of paper based products – this time with some no-so-outrageous […]
Major supermarket seeks changes in plastic bag legislation
The big news in the plastic bag industry this week stems from a call by The Co-op to change the legislation surrounding the proposed 5p plastic bag charge in England when it comes to biodegradable bags. Why? Because the supermarket chain believes that biodegradable plastic bags have a clearly defined secondary use as liners for […]
