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GARDEN ROUTE BUSINESS NEWS - Woolworths has announced that its Knysna and Plettenberg Bay stores will be free of single-use plastic shopping bags from today, 17 August. 

Despite Covid-19 lockdown disruptions, Woolworths is showing its commitment to phase out single-use plastic bags by rolling out the project in 22-stores.

Since making this commitment, Woolworths has been trialling a low-cost reusable bag in five food stores, as well as a paper bag for its fashion, beauty and home purchases. Both bags are made locally by supplier development beneficiaries and constructed from either fabric made from recycled plastic (PET), or Forest Stewardship Council® - certified recycled content, sourced from the same mill where Woolworths (FSC N002141) sends its recyclable cardboard and paper.

"Our trials have confirmed that our customers want to reduce their plastic shopping bag usage and invest in low cost reusable bags or use paper bags," confirms Feroz Koor, Woolworths Holdings Group Head of Sustainability. 

"Since we launched our low-cost reusable bag and in-store communications encouraging customers to choose reusable bags, we have seen about a 30% reduction in plastic shopping bag sales across all stores, which is very encouraging. By phasing out our single-use plastic shopping bags, we will remove between five and six tons of plastic waste."

Over the last two years, Woolworths' suppliers have received financial and business advisory support from the Woolworths Supplier Development programme to invest in new machinery and have employed additional staff to meet the increased demands of the paper and reusable fabric bags so that we are able to remove single-use plastic bags going forward.

"Smart, sustainable solutions often take time to get off the ground, but when they do, they change our world for the better instantly. Together with our customers we are looking forward to removing all single-use plastic bags from our stores," says Koor.

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