Supermarkets miss plastic bag goal for a second time

The UK's leading supermarkets have once again missed a voluntary goal to halve the number of single use carrier bags handed out, despite cutting usage since last year, new figures have shown.

The government-backed Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) confirmed today that the total number of carrier bags issued by the UK's leading supermarkets has fallen 41 per cent since figures were first recorded in 2006.

Moreover, the number of "single-use" carrier bags issued has fallen 43 per cent compared to 2006, representing a reduction of 4.6 billion single-use bags a year.

However, the figures suggest the supermarkets have for the second time fallen short of a voluntary target agreed with the government in 2008 to cut the number of single-use bags given to customers by 50 per cent by spring 2009 compared to a 2006 baseline.

Last year, supermarkets claimed to have "all but" hit the 50 per cent target, citing figures for the month of May showing that they had reduced the number of single use bags distributed by 48 per cent.

The performance drew plaudits from then Environment Secretary Hilary Benn who hailed it as evidence that the government's voluntary approach to cutting plastic bag use was working.

But this year's figures for May, which cover Asda, Cooperative Group, M& S, Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose, suggest that if anything the supermarkets' performance is worsening.

WRAP reported that they had reduced the number of single use carrier bags given out by only 46 per cent compared to the 2006 base line, leaving them well short of the 50 per cent target.

British Retail Consortium director Stephen Robertson insisted that the supermarkets had done a good job, arguing that rising sales had made it harder for them to meet the target.

"This is a tremendous achievement by supermarkets, customers and staff, especially as between 2006 and 2009 the amount of goods sold by participating retailers grew by over six per cent,” he said. "The reduction in bag use is great news, but it's the halving of the total weight of single-use carrier bags which shows retailers really scoring on the crucial issue of reducing environmental impact."

However, the latest figures are likely to once again fuel calls for the government to introduce legislation to curb plastic bag use.

Welsh Environment Minister Jane Davidson recently put forward plans to introduce a seven pence charge on all paper and plastic single use carrier bags by spring 2011. However, coalition ministers have signalled that they want to retain the previous government's voluntary apporoach to encouraging businesses to reduce waste levels.