Every one of Countdown’s 180 supermarkets will be single-use plastic carrier bag free from 15 October – two and a half months ahead of schedule.
The announcement comes on the same day 67 further stores, including all Countdown’s South Island supermarkets, phase out single-use plastic carrier bags. The remaining 26 stores will make the move to reusable bags on Monday, 15 October.
Countdown’s move to phase out single-use plastic carrier bags will see 350 million of these bags no longer in circulation in New Zealand each year. General Manager Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Kiri Hannifin says the business is very proud to have delivered on its promise to Kiwis before time.
“We are absolutely over the moon to have not only been the first supermarket to commit to phasing out these bags, but also the first to actually deliver on our promise to Kiwis.
“A little over a year ago, we committed to phasing out single-use plastic carrier bags. Starting out, we were quite apprehensive about how it would go. Phasing out something that has been such a convenience for so long was going to be a challenge, but we knew it was the right thing to do and a lot of our customers were calling for it,” says Kiri Hannifin.
“Our ability to move more quickly than anticipated and complete our roll-out well ahead of our deadline is thanks to the hard work of our amazing store teams and our passionate and proud customers who really have got behind this move.
“Countdown is currently trialling the use of paper bags in some bakeries for self-serve baked goods. We’re also now turning our focus to the produce and fresh sections of our stores in our wider efforts to remove and reduce unnecessary plastic and packaging wherever we can,” says Kiri Hannifin.
Did you know?
Countdown is one of New Zealand’s largest employers with over 18,400 team members across 180 supermarkets, distribution centres, processing plants and support offices. They serve around 3 million customers every week, and work with thousands of food producers and suppliers throughout New Zealand.
