Back in autumn 2015 we ran a piece about the regulatory changes regarding plastic carrier bags in the UK. According to BBC News online 7.6 billion plastic bags were given out in English supermarkets in 2014.

Plastic bags use oil in their production, and those that don’t end up in landfill sites can cause a danger to our natural wildlife, choking or poisoning many different species of animals, birds and fish. Those that do find their way into landfill sites also damage our environment via the production of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

However, since the bag charge came in on 5 October 2015 the number of plastic bags taken home by shoppers has dropped significantly – by almost 80%, as Tesco reported BBC News online before Christmas.

Tesco also said it had seen a 50% increase in the amount of shoppers opting for ‘bagless’ online deliveries. The supermarket’s communications director, Rebecca Shelley confirms that the new bag charge has ‘had a huge impact’. Tesco is giving the proceeds of the money it makes from the plastic bags it does sell to charity.

Clearly thousands of us are now taking our bags of life to the supermarket and other shops so that we don’t have to buy bags and we do our bit for the environment too. But it’s important that we don’t get complacent.

It’s no surprise that carrier bags are considered by many as the ultimate in advertising. Many are iconic fashion statements in their own right. So, there’s never been a better time to keep up the impetus and encourage the use of environmentally-friendly bags for life.

Promotional bags for life can be manufactured of paper, cotton or jute. What’s more, they’re just asking to be branded with great logos, messages and creative graphics. They are relatively inexpensive and will far outlast either plastic or even laminated paper bags. And, of course, using natural fibres, promotional bags for life not only be working hard to promote your company and brand, they’ll also be doing their bit to help the environment.

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Jason Markwick

Having worked in Promotional Merchandise for the last 25 years I have been exposed to all aspects of the industry. Starting out as an account manager working with some of the worlds leading brands, I have learnt to understand the needs of a client, manufacturing processes, and what it takes to deliver a successful promotional campaign that is on brand, on time and within a given budget.