Two of the UK’s largest supermarket chains have been accused of for failing to reduce the excessive number of plastic carrier bags used to deliver groceries online customers, despite campaigns launched by both retailers just six months ago – pledging to reduce the number of bags per delivery .
Both Asda and Sainsbury’s have come under fire from environmental watchdogs after a survey by trade magazine The Grocer revealed that the retailers’ home delivery staff have been placing just two or three items in a typical bag .
Asda was found to use 15 bags to pack 32 items – an increase from 14 bags for 33 products last time the survey was conducted, while Sainsbury’s used 11 bags to pack 33 items, five more carriers than in the previous quarter’s online shopping delivery .
In comparison, the UK’s leading supermarket chain Tesco used just four bags to deliver 33 products, while Waitrose used five, the survey found.
Friends of the Earth food campaigner Sandra Bell commented: “It seems astonishing that some supermarkets deliver to their customers with an average of only two or three items in each bag .”
“This wasteful use of resources appears to be yet another example of the reality behind the major supermarkets’ green claims,” she added.
Mike Webster, of pressure group Waste Watch, said the nine biggest supermarket chains in the UK hand out over 17billion plastic bags each year. “We urge retailers to look again at the alternatives – reusable bags, bags with recycled content or charging customers,” Webster said.
A spokesman for Sainsbury’s said the chain made every effort to ensure as few bags as possible were used and the results were “disappointing”, while an Asda spokesman said the retailer was making efforts to reduce the number of plastic bags used for home deliveries.
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