Asda Against Plastic Bag Charge

Thu, 21 May 2009
 
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Supermarket giant Asda has no plans to charge customers for using plastic bags, according to chief executive Andy Bond.

Speaking at the British Retail Consortium’s annual retail lecture in London on Tuesday, Bond said that supermarkets need to be careful when it comes to "constraining consumer behaviour" in areas where they believe change is required, such as carrier bag usage and alcohol consumption.

He added that it is important to develop consumer behaviour through education not constraint, and wants the retailer to move away from the trend towards greater control.

Commenting on the use of carrier bags, an Asda spokesman said: "We believe in encouraging people rather than penalising people."

"We do not want to penalise a family that has forgotten to bring their re-usable bags and potentially charge them £1 for forgetting to bring them. This could mean that they leave a bunch of bananas behind that they cannot afford because they have to pay for plastic bags ."

He added: "We are also on course to reach our 50 per cent reduction target (for single use carrier bags) by the end of May".

Bond also revealed that Asda’s frozen food sales had increased since the start of the recession, as more consumers look to reduce waste and save money.

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