Sales of plastic bags have increased for the first time in a decade as a result of online shopping.
Online supermarket Ocado sold 221m plastic bags over the period, marking a rise of 30m from 2023, with the retailer selling more bags than any other grocer. Ocado attributed the increase to it having more customers.
Shoppers across England purchased 437m single-use plastic carrier bags last year, compared to 407m the year prior, a rise of 7%, data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has revealed.
The figures mark the first time sales have risen since 2015, when the Government brought in a 5p fee for single-use plastic bags across England.
The charge was paused throughout the pandemic but increased to 10p during 2021.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, which initially reported the figures, environmental charity Wrap said that the rise of online grocery shopping and the way orders were packed had contributed to the uptick in bag sales.
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Co-op sold the second highest amount, with 94m bags sold, although it highlighted that its carrier bags were 100% compostable.
Morrisons sold 58m plastic bags while Sainsbury’s sold 11m, representing a rise of 2.5m from 2023.
Sainsbury’s said the increase was down to the growth of “on-demand” deliveries via apps including Just Eat. The supermarket noted that it had switched to using paper bags and expected its single-use bag sales to sharply fall.
Ocado has been approached for comment.
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