New World stores in the North Island are taking the lead in an attempt to reduce the number of plastic bags used at checkout.
Auckland, New Zealand, 2016-Oct-26 — /EPR Retail News/ — From Monday the 24th of October North Island New World customers will receive 5 cents off their shop for each reusable bag used at checkout – up to a limit of 50 cents per visit. The gentle incentive will help New World customers to develop more sustainable shopping habits and help to significantly reduce the volume of plastic bags used.
New World is dedicated to being a more sustainable business and has a constant focus in this area. The idea behind the scheme is to reward customers positive behaviour and encourage everyone to be just a little bit more environmentally friendly.
Doug Cochrane, General Manager Retail, Foodstuffs North Island Ltd says that as a company we have a number of initiatives in place that are really making a difference in terms of environmental impact such as Soft Plastics recycling collections and recyclable meat trays. These sustainable solutions are setting the bar for how the business will operate in the future.
“Billions of plastic bags are used globally, causing a devastating impact on the environment; this issue needs to be addressed. We can help by encouraging customers to begin changing their shopping habits,” says Cochrane.
“Reusable bags are the most sustainable option for carrying groceries and we want to help our customers take positive steps towards more sustainable shopping behaviours by rewarding them. We know our customers are passionate about protecting their environment, and this incentive in a way for us to say thanks for helping to reduce plastic bag numbers.”
Cochrane says the movement towards reusable bags is gaining momentum in Europe, so it is clear this incentive can help influence people’s shopping routine and ultimately reduce plastic in landfill.
The anticipated popularity of this initiative is attributed greatly to the fact that New World Newlands, New World Churton Park, New World Karori and New World Pioneer have all been trialling the 5 cent rebate in their stores for a number of months with great success. All of these stores have experienced strong customer engagement in the initiative, and a significant reduction in plastic bags distributed – New World Karori has reported using approximately 15,000 less plastic bags and dishing out 7,800 rebates each month with this number continuing to increase.
To help motivate customers, New World stores will offer a selection of reusable bags to cater to a range of occasions and lifestyles. Although we would obviously rather see New World bags, customers can use which ever reusable bag they please to receive the discount.
Contact:
Tel: +64 4 472 6435
Fax: +64 4 472 6412
Source: Foodstuff