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Changing US consumer habits to reduce plastic bag waste

How the Bring Your Own Bag Pilot could lead to 9.5 million fewer single-use bags used annually

Blog 11th Dec 2024

In most parts of the US, entering a store empty handed and leaving with purchases tucked inside a plastic bag is the norm. 

As a result, the country uses 100 billion single-use plastic bags every year, contributing to millions of tons of CO2 emissions.

The Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners is looking to change this. Their Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag’s Bring Your Own Bag Pilot helped build environmentally-sustainable habits that could result in up to potentially 9.5 million fewer single-use bags used per year across Denver, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona.

Interventions in the shopping journey

In Spring 2023, BIT began our collaboration with the pilot, which partnered with more than 160 retailers implementing bag-reduction interventions across hundreds of stores in Denver and Tucson. We helped shape the research design, capture in-field data and evaluate impact.

During the three-month pilot, people experienced behavioral interventions at key points in their shopping journeys:

  • At home, before shopping, through city-wide ads and media campaigns urging them to bring their own bag or go without one.
  • On the way to the store through repeated reminders, including signs in the community and parking lot.
  • While shopping, including prompts from cashiers, who asked, “Do you need a bag?” instead of handing out a plastic one automatically.

A reminder to bring your own bag at a bus stop (photo by Nicholas Pizzolato)

Results: Less plastic, less CO2

We measured impact by comparing customer behavior before and after the pilot, including observing 38,000+ checkout interactions and surveying 4,950+ customers.

“I noticed a big sign in the parking lot that’s like, ‘Did you remember your reusable bag?’ There’s one thing that a store is doing to encourage people. It’s actually good and I appreciate it.” – Customer

Results were positive. 

Not only did people understand and appreciate the interventions, we also found a nearly 5% reduction in transactions with single-use bags – adding up to the potential of 9.5 million fewer plastic bags across the two markets. That means roughly 190 metric tons of CO2 equivalent were avoided.

We can build greener norms together

Our habits, social norms and culture are all interconnected and influence each other. Changing them is hard, especially at scale. But this pilot shows that it is possible when we work together.

It’s a hallmark example of the power of collective action and collaboration between businesses, nonprofits and city governments to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions.

The pilot also shows the power of smart intervention design and evaluation alongside policy in encouraging environmentally-friendly behaviors.

As BIT continues partnering with private and public sector clients around the world to reach net zero, we hope more US cities and retailers come together to create a culture shift away from single-use plastic.

Reading the full report on the Bring Your Own Bag pilot is a great place to start.

Authors

Design and development by Soapbox.