// Asda will scrap plastic bags for online deliveries from July 31
// It aims to save over 500 tonnes of plastic a year
// It has already removed 6500 tonnes of plastic from own-brand packaging since 2018
Asda has pledged to scrap plastic carrier bags that it currently uses for online orders in a bid to save over 500 tonnes of plastic each year.
The Big 4 grocer is the latest retailer in the UK to up the ante on the war against plastic as it aims to reduce the amount of single-use plastic bags, following Boots’ announcement last month that it would replace plastic with paper bags.
The initiative, which begins on July 31, means online deliveries will arrive to customers without bags, as Asda plans to remove around 85 million plastic bags from production each year.
Asda said the move means it will save over 500 tonnes of plastic a year, following a “successful” trial period in south-west England and from Dartford.
Last year, the supermarket stopped handing out single-use bags in its stores, said the latest initiative will make it the first to axe single-use bags from its operations.
“We’re working hard to reduce avoidable plastic wherever we can – because helping to reduce its impact on the environment matters to us, and we know it matters to our customers too,” Asda vice president for online grocery Simon Gregg said.
“This is a simple change but will have a significant impact on the amount of plastic we use as a business.”
Asda said it has removed 6500 tonnes of plastic from its own-brand packaging since 2018, and in recent months, many other retailers have joined the war on plastic.
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