Eco-Friendly Shopping Bags

The new Southern Co-op compostable carrier bag has been announced by the company as a new solution for shoppers to choose when in need of a way to carry their purchases. Set to be available at 75 of the company's stores in the south of England, the bags are made from corn starch and are priced at 5p each. The bags are being strategically introduced at stores in areas where the local authority accepts household food waste.

Director of Sustainability and Communication Gemma Lacey spoke on the Southern Co-op compostable carrier bag saying, "Ultimately we want to encourage our customers to reuse bags they already own and move away from single-use shoppers altogether but we are a convenience store so understand this is not always practical. We hope this new bag will prevent more plastic from ending up in landfill – this echoes our existing efforts to prevent waste and use resources more wisely. As part of the commitment to remove all single-use plastic from Co-op own-brand products, three out of four Co-op branded products are now widely recyclable."