\nM&S is rolling out a trial to use paper bags in a select number of stores as it looks to reduce its plastic usage.<\/p>\n
Over the next month, the paper bags will launch at the retailers food stores, including in Bluewater, Falkirk, Hackney, Hedge End, Kings Road, Maidstone, Newcastle, Nottingham, Rochdale and Vanguard.<\/p>\n
Each carrier bag can hold 15kg, developed to be both strong and durable and if proved successful, the new bags could be rolled out nationwide across M&S stores.<\/p>\n
Sign up\u00a0here to get the latest grocery and food news<\/span>\u00a0each morning<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to reuse carrier bags<\/a> and offer them durable options that work for them,” M&S technical director Andrew Clappen told The Grocer.<\/p>\n \u201cThis trial is part of our test and learn approach to finding the best sustainable carrier bags for customers that they can \u2013 and want to\u00a0\u2013 keep using again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Iceland became the first supermarket in the UK to launch plastic-free reusable woven bags<\/a>, while Tesco removed packaging from a range of its most popular bakery products<\/a> in October to remove 33 million pieces of plastic each year.<\/p>\n This comes as M&S is investing \u00a348.5m in new store openings<\/a> in Northern England to make them \u201cbigger and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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