John Lewis bans 5p plastic carrier bags and swaps out bubble wrap for eco-friendly packaging as part of a ‘reduce, reuse and return’ trial at its Oxford store that could be rolled out across the country
- My John Lewis members will be able to swap old clothes for gift vouchers
- Department store is inviting customers to bring in their old hangers for use
- Sustainability boss says scrapping 5p bags will save five tonnes of plastic a year
John Lewis is banning 5p plastic carrier bags and scrapping its bubble wrap for eco-friendly packaging.
The chain is trying out a ban at its Oxford store as part of a ‘reduce, reuse and return’ trial that it could roll out across the country.
It released details of the sustainability push today just months after sister shop Waitrose chose to trial a greener business model in the city.
The supermarket – which is part of the John Lewis Partnership – trialled packaging-free food and drink in June.
John Lewis is set to trial a ban on 5p plastic bags at its store in Oxford in the latest push against plastic waste across its stores (file photo)
Now the department store will test eight ways in which customers can leave less of a footprint on the planet, the Guardian reports.
Forecasters think they could save five tonnes of plastic annually be scrapping 5p bags and encouraging shoppers to buy reusables and bring their own.
And the retailer will be the first in the UK to test out a click and collect bag consisting entirely of recycled material.
Twenty-five percent of orders are set to be delivered to stores in the bags, removing the need for additional packaging when customers turn up to collect.
John Lewis is pushing to drastically cut the amount of plastic waste coming from its operation as concerns grow about its effect on wildlife across the globe
The head of sustainability at John Lewis, Stephen Cawley, reported a 30 per cent fall in sales of plastic bags since a charge was brought in four years ago.
But it still sold 11.5million bags last year, with Mr Cawley saying that is ‘an unacceptable amount of plastic’.
John Lewis will also replace bubble wrap with a recyclable wrap and invite customers to bring in their old hangers to be resused or recycled in store.
My John Lewis cardholders will be able to bring in empty beauty product packaging and used clothing in exchange for gift vouchers from this week at 36 stores across the country.
Customers ordering large items to their homes will have the option of an ‘eco-delivery’ slot, meaning drivers will be booked in for the delivery at a time when they are already close to the destination.
It comes after Sainsbury’s floated the idea of selling milk and carbonated drinks in returnable glass bottles.
Tesco is moving the ban brands that it thinks use excessive packaging from its shops from 2020.