Boots is joining the beauty brands and retailers helping to make the industry a more environmentally-friendly place. The health and beauty giant is ditching its plastic bags in favour of paper ones after being inspired by BBC's Blue Planet.
On Monday, 53 stores across the UK will say goodbye to plastic bags forever, replacing them with unbleached, recycled brown paper bags. Although this will only be launched in selected, larger city stores to begin with, the aim is to roll out the paper bags in all Boots shops by 2020.
"Plastic waste is undoubtedly one of the most important issues around the world today . . . "
According to Boots managing director Seb James, the move to paper bags will result in 900 tonnes of plastic being removed from the stores. "Plastic waste is undoubtedly one of the most important issues around the world today, with TV shows like Blue Planet highlighting the effects of plastic pollution. [ . . . ] This year, we are transforming Boots as we celebrate 170 years, and the move to unbleached paper bags is another pivotal moment in that journey."
Although the new paper bags don't fall under the plastic bag tax, there will still be a small charge should you need one; however, the retailer is donating all profits from the bag cost to BBC Children In Need.
More and more big store chains are introducing small changes that make a big difference. Waitrose launched plastic-free food refill stations, and John Lewis [1] and The Body Shop [2] launched product recycling schemes in an effort to encourage customers to recycle their empty beauty products. With these positive changes, here's hoping even more stores follow in Boots's footsteps to reduce unnecessary plastic waste.
