Marks & Spencer replaces plastic bags with paper alternatives across all stores

18 Sep 2023 --- UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) is replacing all plastic carrier bags with paper alternatives throughout its entire store chain. The company says the move answers consumer demand for single-use plastic reduction.

This year, the chain introduced a “Bring Your Own Bag” initiative for Click & Collect orders in the Clothing & Home sector, which is projected to remove over 10 million units of plastic annually, and in its F&B sector, where the majority of its plastic product packaging is currently used. So far, 75 million pieces of plastic have been eliminated this year.

“Our customers have always pushed us to lead on the issues they care about most, from animal welfare to reducing food waste. And reducing single-use plastic is right up there too, which is why we’ve been busy finding ways to use less and making it easier for our customers to do the same,” says a company statement. 

M&S was the first retailer to introduce carrier bag charging in 2008 and has been introducing new, more environmentally sustainable choices for customers, including large and durable bags like the Yinka Illori tote bag launched earlier this year, or bags for life made using recycled plastic, including material collected in our stores. 

M&S paper bags can hold up to 15 kg of products.The company claims that over 70% of M&S customers are now choosing to bring their own bags or don’t use one at all. 

“But now they want us to go further and find a solution which avoids plastic for those trips when they do need a bag,” says M&S.

Paper over plastic 
Following the rise in consumer demand, the company is expanding previous success made in the M&S Food category, which moved its rice and grains packaging to paper bags and boxes, eliminating 5.5 million units of plastic and applying it to all carrier bags. 

Every store across the UK will offer Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper bags at checkouts. The bags are replacing its ecoloop plastic bags for life and are sold alongside our range of durable tote bags, and the company is introducing a strong, robust bag in F&B and a simpler one in Clothing & Home.

Paper carrier bags have the benefits of plastic bags but without the same environmental impact, claims the company. The F&B bags can carry over 15 kg – equivalent to more than six four-pint bottles of M&S milk. 

Both bags are water resistant, thanks to a natural resin applied in the manufacturing process and have been independently tested to withstand over 100 reuses, with easy foldability into a backpack. They are also more convenient for customers to put into their home recycling bins when worn out – unlike plastic bags, which generally need to be returned to specific soft plastic recycling units.

University of Sheffield partnership 
M&S tasked a team at the University of Sheffield, UK, to undertake a cradle-to-grave assessment of the bags to determine which was better. The team found that for a move to paper, the company would need to address four factors:

• The paper bags needed to be responsibly sourced (FSC-certified).
• It must be produced with renewable energy as paper can use a lot of energy in production (M&S bags are sourced from a single hydro-powered paper mill in Scandinavia).
• M&S would need to find another use for the plastic collected in its stores.
• The bag needs to be capable of being used multiple times. The researchers said at least ten times, but as this is the factor that makes the most difference to how sustainable the bag is, M&S says it made it 100 times. 

“Having done this, we now have a solution that is better environmentally and which helps customers looking to make small changes to reduce their environmental footprint,” says the company. 

“Not a lot will change for the vast majority who already reuse their own bags, which remains the most sustainable option. But on the odd occasion when we all need to reach for one more bag, we’re pleased to be offering a more sustainable option for customers.” 

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton