As Marks & Spencer gears up to introducing a carrier bag charge, it announced today that it has handed out over 15 million free reusable bags for life to customers across the UK* in the last month – the biggest single giveaway of reusable and recyclable bags for life by any retailer.
On Tuesday 6th May, M&S will introduce a 5p charge for its standard food carrier bags in all of its UK stores** in order to:
encourage customers to reduce the amount of bags they use by switching from taking single use carrier bags with every purchase to bringing their reusable bags for life with them each time they shop
raise a significant amount of money for environmental projects
The national roll-out of carrier bag charging is a major step towards M&S’ Plan A commitments to aim to reduce carrier bag usage by a third and send no waste to landfill from its operations by 2012.
All profits generated from the charge will go to environmental charity Groundwork and be used to create or improve ‘greener living spaces’ such as parks, play areas and gardens in neighbourhoods around the UK***. It is expected that around 40 neighbourhoods will benefit in the next twelve months.
M&S is also making two additional changes to help reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags even further. From May onwards M&S:
customers will be able to return any unwanted or used carrier bags to any till point or customer service desk at M&S stores for recycling.
will be the first major UK food retailer to begin to use a new standard food carrier bag made from 100% post consumer waste in all of its stores nation-wide. This move will reduce the amount of virgin plastic M&S uses by 3,400 tonnes per year****.
M&S bags for life, which are also made from 100 per cent recycled plastic, will revert to their original price of 10p from 6th May. The bags for life will be replaced free of charge and recycled by M&S when worn out.
Stuart Rose, M&S Chief Executive said: “Our stores are now getting ready to introduce food carrier bag charging on 6th May. This will be one of the most significant changes we’ve made since we launched Plan A last January and we believe that it will help us to reduce the number of single use carrier bags our customers use by around 280 million each year.
“M&S customers have certainly responded extremely positively to our bag for life giveaway and we hope that they will bring the bags with them each time they shop with us.”
M&S has successfully trialled charging for food carrier bags in over 50 M&S stores in Northern Ireland and the South West of England in the last twelve months. The trials resulted in customers’ use of food carrier bags reducing by over 70% and raised over £80,000 for Groundwork. This money is now being invested in six projects across those regions including the development of the Daisy Hill Woodland in Newry, the creation of a play area at the Old Warren Community Centre in Lisburn and improving a green space at Woodhay Road in Plymouth.
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For more information on M&S, please contact:
Clare Wilkes M&S 0208 718 8642
Lucy Kelly M&S 0208 718 1980
For more information on Groundwork, please contact:
Daisy Powell Groundwork 07703 535841
Notes to Editors
*Excluding M&S stores in the South West of England and Northern Ireland where charging is already in place and M&S Outlet stores.
**Excluding M&S stores that do not sell food: M&S Outlet stores, M&S Speke and the M&S Home store in Lisburn.
***In Scotland, Groundwork will be working in partnership with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens to deliver local projects.
****Based on current M&S standard food carrier bag usage. This is in addition to a 3,300 tonne annual saving that M&S made by converting its Bag for Life, clothing and home carrier bags to 100% recycled post consumer waste in April 2007.
The 5p charge does not apply to mini food bags and horticultural bags which will be available free of charge on request.
In January 2007 M&S announced Plan A, a five-year, 100 point business-wide ‘eco plan’. Under this plan, by 2012 M&S aims to become carbon neutral; send no waste to landfill from its operations; extend sustainable sourcing; set new standards in ethical trading and help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle.
The new M&S 100% recycled post consumer waste food carrier bag has been developed in conjunction with Papier Mettler.
See www.marksandspencer.com/plana for more information.
About Groundwork
Groundwork is a national charity working with partners to improve the quality of people's lives and the places where they live, work and play.
Groundwork's projects help local people get practically involved in making decisions and managing improvements in their neighbourhood and encourage people to make healthier and greener lifestyle choices. This ranges from working with children and young people to create sports facilities and ‘outdoor classrooms’, to providing training and jobs for the long-term unemployed as they regenerate major areas of derelict or waste ground.
Last year Groundwork supported nearly 6,000 projects across the UK supported by central and local government, businesses, charitable trusts and the National Lottery. As a result of those projects more than 80% of people involved felt their neighbourhood was a better place to live and felt more able to influence decisions affecting their community.
Groundwork will use the money raised from the carrier bag charges to support local projects in towns and cities across the UK.
See www.groundwork.org.uk for more information.
The six M&S / Groundwork ‘greener living spaces’ projects currently underway are:
Northern Ireland:
Daisy Hill Woodland (Newry)
To encourage community involvement in the maintenance and development of Daisy Hill Woodland as a community resource.
In recent years the woodland has become a focal point for various anti-social activities.
The carrier bag money will help to get local people involved in clearing the land and planting trees in the hope that people will begin to use the woodland as a recreational & educational resource
Glencairn Daycare Centre (Belfast)
The carrier bag money will fund the development of a landscaped seating area within the ground of a day care centre.
Currently the older people who use the centre have to sit in the car park in the summer months.
Shantallow Community Recreation Project (Derry)
Shantallow is a large housing estate on the outskirts of Derry city.
The money for this project will be used to build on a number of recent improvements to recreational facilities in the area. Activities will include, developing a mini-golf course to complement other recreational facilities in the area and providing an inter-generational activity, which will give adults and children a positive activity to enjoy together.
Old Warren Community Centre (Lisburn)
Old Warren is a large housing estate on the outskirts of Lisburn.
The community are currently in the process of developing a new centre at the heart of the estate.
The carrier bag money will create an environmental play area with seating for young children and their parents.
South West
Mancroft Park (Bristol)
Mancroft Park in Lawrence Weston in Bristol is a valuable community resource, which provides a selection of predated play facilities.
Over the years the park has fallen into a state of disrepair and a new initiative has been put in place to create a new playground.
This project will work with children and young people to design and build a piece of bespoke play equipment for the park using traditional wood working techniques and locally sourced timber.
Woodhay Road Garden Project (Plymouth)
North Prospect in Plymouth is ranked as one of the most deprived wards within the UK where over 35% of the population is made up of children and young people.
The funding will turn a large garden in a local neighbourhood into a community space for all residents and young people to enjoy incorporating a sandpit, fruit trees, plants to attract butterflies and seating boulders.
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