Sobeys will be the first national grocery chain to eliminate plastic bags by the end of January 2020.
Dave Sobey, director of support services Atlantic, says it means 225 million plastic grocery bags will be taken out of circulation at its 255 locations across the country.
“We’ve been hearing consistently from our customers and our employees of the desire to reduce plastics within our stores and given the numbers, we understand the impact that it has on the environment.”
He says the timeline will help everyone get used to the change.
“We’re going to retrain our employees and really remind our customers of the options to bring in their reusable bags to make it a smoother transition. We decided to act now instead of taking years to study and only make long-term commitments.”
Sobey says in a couple of weeks Sobeys will introduce a line of reusable mesh bags made from recycled water bottles to provide customers with an alternative to carry their fresh produce.
He says they’re also talking with their suppliers about ways to reduce plastics in packaging.
