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TESCO WELCOMES FURTHER ACTION ON CARRIER BAGS

Tesco

18 December 2008




Tesco, the UK's biggest retailer today welcomed the government's new targets to halve the number of carrier bags issued by Spring next year.
Corporate and Legal Affairs Director, Lucy Neville-Rolfe said: "We were the first retailer to set our own reduction targets on carrier bags more than 2 years ago and since that time we have saved more than 3 billion bags.
"The great news is that these savings have been brought about through incentives and rewards for customers who reuse their bags. We have always believed that penalising customers by forcing them to pay for bags will not achieve lasting changes in behaviour and we are pleased that the Government appears to support this approach.
"These are challenging targets for the industry and the government's longer term targets are even more stretching, but we believe that customers understand the environmental and practical benefits of reusing bags and with continued encouragement they will help us achieve these even bigger reductions."
Tesco introduced Green Clubcard Points in 2006. This scheme rewards customers for reusing bags by giving them Clubcard points for every bag saved.
In November, we removed carrier bags from all our tills and staff now offer bags to those customers who need them.
A bagless delivery option on Tesco.com was also introduced last year. Again customers are rewarded with extra Clubcard Points if they choose to have their shopping delivered in reusable trays rather than carrier bags. Around half of our on-line customers currently choose this option.
Tesco now has 10 different types of reusable bags and a further 8 designed by top designer Cath Kidston. Millions of reusable bags have been given to customers and prices have been cut to encourage greater use.
ENDS
For further information or tp request images please contact the Tesco press office on 01992 644645. Out of hours the duty press officer can be contacted by calling 01992 644733.

For more information please contact the Tesco Press Office on 01992 644645

Tesco is the UK's largest retailer and one of the world's leading international retailers. Tesco has around 5,000 stores worldwide, employing over 500,000 people in the 14 countries in which it operates. Our core purpose is to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty. Our success depends on people: the people who shop with us and the people who work with us.