Pick n Pay removes plastic barrier bags from till points

Reusable fresh produce bags. Source: Supplied

Barrier bags are traditionally used by stores to separate selected products, such as fresh produce, toiletries or cleaning products, from other groceries.

Vaughan Pierce, executive: ESG at Pick n Pay, says that the company has been on a journey to reduce problematic single-use plastic packaging. “These small clear plastic barrier bags are not currently recycled effectively, and by removing these at till points, we can play a part in reducing reliance on unnecessary single-use plastic.”

Pick n Pay will still have barrier bags in its fruit and vegetable section for loose produce but continues to encourage customers to use alternatives, such as re-useable netted produce bags, which it stocks in all its stores nationwide.

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This latest development is part of Pick n Pay's journey towards its 2025 plastic waste reduction targets. Over the past five years, more than 10,000 tonnes of plastic have been removed from the environment to make Pick n Pay’s 100% recyclable blue plastic bags, and over 11 million plastic bottles have been recycled to manufacture the retailer's reusable shopping bags since 2018.

Pick n Pay is a founding member of the SA Plastics Pact, launched in January 2020 to establish a collective commitment to ensure plastic never becomes waste or pollution in the country. As part of this, the retailer committed to various 2025 targets, which include ensuring that 100% of its private label packaging is reusable or recyclable. This number has shifted from 67% to 80% in the past two years through various changes.

“We all need to accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular economy of packaging as this will drive positive change on a much larger scale,” says Pierce. “Packaging, particularly plastic, plays an important role in protecting products and reducing food waste. By committing to creating a system where packaging is treated as a valuable resource that can be used, re-used, collected and recycled in a closed loop, it supports the principles of a circular economy,” explains Pierce.

Beyond groceries

Pierce adds that Pick n Pay’s commitment to recycling extends to increasing the use of recycled materials in clothing products and store refurbs. In 2021, Pick n Pay Clothing sold 1.5 million items of clothing that included recycled content.

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He says that repurposing plastic extends beyond simply helping the planet; it also supports local charities and creates jobs through the informal economy as waste pickers generate income from recycled plastic.

“We regularly introduce new reusable plastic bags, which are 100% made from locally recycled plastic bottles. Each with a unique design, these promote sustainable shopping habits as customers reuse the same shopping bag. But the designs also create awareness and funding for local non-profit organisations as proceeds from these bag sales go to selected charities.”

For February – the month of love – Pick n Pay has introduced a rainbow-coloured ‘Love Bag’ celebrating love, inclusion and acceptance, and the proceeds from the sales will go to the Other Foundation.