3 minute read
Now That's A Good Idea...
by 55 North
OUT THE BOX
In the bag
Project aims to create a reusable shopping bag that tackles a range of sustainability challenges.
WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?
British accessories designer Anya Hindmarch is collaborating with supermarkets UK-wide to create a reusable shopping bag that tackles a range of sustainability challenges.The project, open to all supermarkets globally, will allow each partner to customise their own exclusive version of The Universal Bag in keeping with their own brand.
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE BAG?
The bag is made from 100% recycled plastic and each step and material used in making the bag has been fully certified under the Global Recycling Scheme, making this a truly 100% recycled product.
In addition, the Universal Bag features a freepost returns pouch built into a pocket inside the bag. You simply turn the bag into its built-in pocket, which acts as a pre-addressed envelope, and then post it. It is then 100% recycled locally.
Each Universal Bag is guaranteed to last 10 years, having been extensively tested for durability.
Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, the pioneering partners in this project, are the first supermarkets to launch their own exclusive edition of The Universal Bag.
Anya Hindmarch and production partner Solent Group have committed
to share the learnings from the project with all global retailers on request, with the ambition to advance progress in the use, reuse, and recycling of shopping bags around the world.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?
Anya Hindmarch, Founder and Creative Director, said: “Everyone needs a bag to move things around. The Universal Bag is designed to offer an alternative solution that saves plastic from landfill, is simple to recycle 100%, is guaranteed for 10 years, and is hopefully special enough to inspire people to use it.
“When you throw something away, there is no ‘away’. By collaborating on this project supermarkets are showing their continued commitment to reducing the amount of plastic on our planet.”
Mark Given, Chief Marketing Officer of Sainsbury’s, said: “We are serious about reducing plastic and we know it’s an issue our customers and colleagues are passionate about too. I
“It’s why we set an ambitious target to reduce our use of plastic packaging by 50% by 2025 and committed to making it easier for our customers to recycle while offering them more reusable options when they shop with us.
“It’s for this reason that fourteen years after we first partnered with Anya
Hindmarch on the ground-breaking ‘I Am Not A Plastic Bag’ we’re delighted to join forces with her again on a brilliant new initiative, The Universal Bag. Reducing plastic and tackling the climate crisis can’t be solved in isolation, it requires collaboration and we’re proud to represent that message and inspire change as part of Anya’s new campaign.”
James Bailey, Executive Director at Waitrose, said: “We recently took the decision to remove our bags for life as our research showed that they were increasingly being treated as a single use item, and this is part of our commitment to only use plastic where it can be recycled, reused or home composted by 2023. Plastic will continue to have its uses but we must not create any more of it unnecessarily. Instead, we must repurpose, reuse and make existing plastic materials circular - this is why we’re excited to be an early adopter of Anya Hindmarch’s new Universal Bag as it is a great example of circularity at work.”
WHERE CAN I GET ONE?
The Sainsbury’s edition will launch on 2 December 2021 across 334 stores (RSP £10), with the Waitrose edition available on 26 January 2022 in more than 90 stores initially (RSP £10).
