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Ikea trashes disposable bags
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by Amy Judd | October 1, 2008 at 09:46 am
220 views | 12 Recommendations | 4 comments
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Ikea is doing their part to save the environment, and is banning all disposable bags from their stores.
Starting today, across North Amercia, the furnishing giant will no longer be offering any kind of bags at any of their stores. Customers will still be able to buy resuable bags, but not get any for free.
It's a measure to help stop the thousands of plastic bags that end up in landfills every year.
Ikea is not the first to think of this, but is the first to really make an effort. Plastic bags will most likely be banned in Mussoorie, and have already been banned in Los Angeles.
"With the introduction of its leadership ‘bag the plastic bag' ... Ikea set a goal of reducing its U.S. stores' plastic bag consumption by 50%, from 70 million to 35 million plastic bags in the first year," the company said. It suggested customers buy and use its blue bags for 59 cents or "don't use a bag at all."
If that wasn't acceptable, customers could purchase plastic bags for five cents, with all proceeds going to American forestry organization to plant trees to restore forests and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Since the bag the bags program began, Ikea has raised enough money to plant 516,000 trees.
The program has cut plastic bag use by 92%, exceeding the retailer's expectations.
"The success of this program clearly demonstrates that like Ikea, our customers care about our global home," said Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president, Ikea North America. "They have let us know, that they're looking at ways to be environmentally responsible in their everyday lives. Plus the huge increase in our reusable blue bag sales, tells us that our bold step to end plastic bag sales has been welcomed by our customers across the nation."
It takes a long time for a plastic bag to decompose in a landfill.
It takes 20 years for a plastic bag to decompose and 250 years for a plastic cup to decompose.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 10:06 on October 1st, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Finally, To bad this is only in the US. In Europe it has been the case for a decade in some countries, yet Asia is with North America the Packaging master and plastic bags every where. I wonder if this will come to the Ikea stores in Japan and China as well.
at 11:48 on October 1st, 2008
amyjudd, I like this story. It's good stuff. A good news story.
at 11:51 on October 1st, 2008
I never go to ikea without my reusable bags.. The small version they brought out in Europe last year (or the year before??) is great for a quick trip to the corner shop.
I think Ikea's move is a good step to reducing the plastic, hopefully taking reusable shopping bags with you to the supermarket or ikea will eventually be an automatic part of everyone's shopping routine, no different to picking up your keys and wallet on the way out the door.
at 01:48 on October 2nd, 2008
This decorative bag was sold during Christmas as a gift bag. It's really large and made of the same durable plastic as their big blue bags. I use it to store posters in my classroom.
Jane Little has contributed a photo to this story.