Starting March 15th All IKEA U.S. stores will charge Five Cents for Plastic Bags.
Good for you, IKEA!
According to the US EPA, the U.S. consumes over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps every year. Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags, and less than one percent of them are recycled. The bags do not biodegrade for up to a thousand years.
IKEA U.S. is taking a stand. IKEA will no longer offer customers free plastic bags. Beginning March 15, every plastic bag at every IKEA U.S. store across the nation will cost five cents.
All proceeds* from this ‘program year’ bag campaign will go to American Forests, the nation’s oldest non-profit citizens conservation organization, to plant trees to restore forests and offset CO2 emissions. Also, to help alter customer behavior and endorse environmentally responsible habits, IKEA will be selling its iconic reusable ‘Big Blue Bag’ for 59 cents, a cost that has been reduced from 99 cents.
The blue bag, while also made of plastic, is durable, strong and roomy. Because one sturdy reusable bag will replace hundreds of single-use bags, IKEA hopes customers will bring it along to carry purchases when they shop at IKEA stores and elsewhere.
IKEA is the first major U.S. retailer to charge customers for plastic bags with the goal of completely eliminating their use in all IKEA stores. IKEA projects that the number of plastic bags used by their U.S. customers will be reduced by at least 50% from 70 million to 35 million in the first year.
The program was launched in IKEA stores in the UK in late Spring 2006, and reduction has been a monumental 95 percent.
“IKEA is a global environmental pace-setter, as I point out in my book Green to Gold,” says author and IKEA advisor, Daniel C. Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale University. “They have been a leader in their supply chain, responsible forest products sourcing, and recycling efforts. The plastic reduction program is another notable example of IKEA’s ability to integrate their environmental and business strategies; engaging the customer to reduce pollution and litter while minimizing unnecessary materials.”
Wood used for IKEA products comes from well managed forests and not from intact, natural or old-growth forests. IKEA also conducts IWAY audits, a code of conduct for partnership with suppliers around the world where suppliers are measured on health, safety, social and environmental concerns. When developing products, IKEA abides by the strictest requirements for chemicals and substances in the world.
Loading...