Retailers urged to ditch plastic bags before 2027 deadline

Photo by Maria Lin Kim on Unsplash

The call comes as retailers face growing pressure to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic while responding to consumers, investors and regulators demanding more visible sustainability commitments.

Declan Cherry, director of Traderbag, says packaging represents a particularly tangible opportunity for retailers to demonstrate their environmental commitments.

“Retailers have a significant influence on consumer behaviour because they interact with thousands of customers every day. Packaging is often the final touchpoint in the shopping experience and can send a powerful message about a brand's values,” he says.

Traderbag is already working with major retail brands moving from plastic to paper, as well as local paper and packaging suppliers, as the industry prepares for potentially significant growth in demand for alternatives.

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The company argues that this capacity-building is particularly important because a sudden regulatory shift could place pressure on South Africa’s existing paper production and supply infrastructure.

“If legislation changed overnight, paper producers would struggle to supply everyone,” says Cherry. “Retailers prepared to lead the way will be the early birds that catch the proverbial paper packaging worm.”

Retailers as drivers of consumer change

The shift from plastic to paper is not only an environmental decision, according to Traderbag. It also gives retailers an opportunity to influence how consumers perceive sustainability.

For large retail groups with hundreds of stores, even relatively small packaging changes can translate into significant reductions in plastic use.

“When a retailer with hundreds of stores switches from plastic to paper, the impact extends far beyond the business itself. Each retailer can remove millions of plastic bags from circulation each year,” Cherry says.

Environmental lawyer Tess Nielson of Nielson Consulting agrees that retailers have an important role to play within the plastics value chain.

“Large retailers occupy a unique position within the plastics value chain and possess significantly greater capacity than individual consumers to influence purchasing behaviour and reduce plastic consumption,” she says.

According to Nielson, greater retailer responsibility would also align with the environmental principles underpinning South Africa’s National Environmental Management Act, the Waste Act and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.

The argument comes as governments globally have taken increasingly varied approaches to single-use plastic. Traderbag notes that more than 100 countries, including 34 African countries, have introduced complete bans on single-use plastic shopping bags.

South Africa has taken a more gradual approach, using measures including recycled-content requirements, the plastic bag levy and EPR obligations.

2027 deadline raises pressure

South Africa’s regulatory framework is nevertheless tightening.

From January 2027, plastic carrier and flat bags will be required to comprise 100% recycled plastic. Non-compliance can result in significant penalties, including fines and possible imprisonment.

Traderbag believes the regulation could accelerate investment in alternative packaging, but argues that retailers should not simply wait for the deadline.

“If other countries have been able to make decisive moves away from plastic bags, South Africa should be able to do the same,” says Daniel Cherry, managing director of Traderbag.

“What is needed is political will, clear legislation and proper enforcement.”

He argues that retailers have already demonstrated their ability to adapt to regulatory changes and that paper alternatives are available at scale.

“FSC-certified paper bags are available, scalable and far easier for consumers to understand from an environmental point of view,” he says.

For retailers, however, the transition is not simply about replacing one bag with another. Procurement decisions increasingly form part of broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, making the materials, manufacturing processes and recyclability of packaging more relevant to corporate reporting.

From ESG commitments to visible action

Traderbag says Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification across its products provides retailers with an independently recognised framework for responsible sourcing, while water-based inks can further support recycling and environmental objectives.

The company says larger retailers are increasingly specifying water-based inks for paper shopping bags, citing their alignment with sustainability goals including recyclability, reduced reliance on hazardous chemicals and lower environmental impacts during manufacturing.

This is particularly relevant as retailers face increasing scrutiny over whether their ESG commitments translate into practical changes across their operations.

Traderbag also argues that moving towards paper can support the principles underpinning South Africa’s EPR framework, which came into effect in 2021.

Nielson says EPR represents a significant evolution in how responsibility for waste is viewed, extending beyond the point of sale towards post-consumer waste management.

“The introduction of the EPR regulations represents a particularly significant development, reflecting Parliament’s intention that responsibility for plastic waste should not end at point of sale but should extend to post-consumer waste management,” she says.

While the current framework primarily regulates producers, importers and brand owners rather than retailers directly, Nielson says it demonstrates an evolving model of shared environmental responsibility.

Could paper become the next retail standard?

For Traderbag, the bigger opportunity lies in shifting the sustainability conversation from managing waste after it has been created to making better material choices at the outset.

“In our opinion, EPR should not only focus on managing waste after the fact. It should also encourage better material choices upfront,” the company says.

That approach places retailers at an important decision point. Rather than treating packaging as a low-cost operational necessity, businesses can view it as a visible component of their sustainability strategy and customer experience.

The transition could also have implications beyond individual retailers. Greater demand for locally produced paper packaging could encourage investment in domestic manufacturing capacity and strengthen the supply chain for sustainable alternatives.

As South African retailers balance regulatory requirements, consumer expectations and increasingly prominent ESG commitments, the humble shopping bag is becoming a more strategic business decision.

For retailers considering the move, Traderbag’s message is clear: the question may no longer be whether plastic shopping bags will eventually be replaced, but whether businesses choose to lead that transition or wait until they have no choice.