Ikea to charge for plastic bags; cuts reusables price
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, February 26, 2007
Conshohocken, Pa. — Top 100 chain Ikea, with a goal of "reducing plastic bag litter that is strangling our planet," plans to start charging a nickel for each of its plastic bags starting March 15.
The idea is to encourage shoppers to use its reusable Big Blue Bag, which it now will sell for 59 cents, down from 99 cents.
Ikea said it will donate proceeds from sales of its 5-cent bags this year, up to $1.75 million, to American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization that plants trees to restore forests and offset CO2 emissions.
Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene will accumulate and persist on our planet for up to a thousand years, the retailer said.
"We realize that our Bag the Plastic Bag Program is a small step," said Pernille Spiers-Lopez, president of Ikea North America. "But we know our customers want to help and support the sustainability of our planet — for today and for the future of our children."
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 the United Kingdom last year and has led to a 95% reduction, the company said.
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