Morrisons to introduce paper carrier bags in all stores

The paper bags have been trialled in eight Morrisons stores since January

All Morrisons supermarkets in England will offer paper carrier bags to customers from May as part of its continuing drive to remove unnecessary plastic from its stores.

The paper bags have been trialled in eight Morrisons stores since January and have proved popular with customers.

They are made in Wales from paper from sustainably managed forests and are strong enough to carry heavy weights up to 16kg. They will be priced at 20p, which will be the same price as Morrisons’ standard plastic carrier bag.

The paper grocery bags, which can be reused and ultimately recycled, are labelled 'Reusable Paper Bag'.

Andy Atkinson, Group Customer and Marketing Director, said: “We are taking another meaningful step that will remove an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year.

“Our customers have told us that reducing plastic is their number one environmental concern so introducing the paper bag across the nation will provide another way of reducing the plastic in their lives.”

Morrisons has also assessed the bag’s carbon footprint and it is equivalent to the standard plastic carrier bag.

Previous measures introduced by the retailer to reduce throwaway plastic include removing 5p carrier bags, bringing in paper bags for fresh produce, and enabling customers to bring their own containers to Morrisons’ Butchers and Fishmongers counters.