Spar South Africa’s Eastern Cape (Spar EC) team has launched an initiative to urge customers to consider alternative packaging options for their daily groceries.
Spar EC Managing Director, Conrad Isaac, said that the issue of packaging waste was one that could no longer be ignored.
Turning Words Into Action
“We believe that safeguarding our environment and the future are often spoken about but not much is done," he commented.
“As the biggest food retailer in the Eastern Cape, I believe we have to take care of the health and well-being of the communities in which we operate.”
Over two days in April, for every ten plastic bags brought to any one of Spar EC’s outlets, the retailer gave the public a free paper bag.
An initial order of 300,000 paper bags was placed to accommodate the demand. These were wax-lined, waterproof reusable bags, capable of carrying 12 kg.
Changing Community Habits
Zwartkops Conservancy Environmental Manager, Jenny Rump, was full of praise for Spar EC’s decision to implement this initiative.
She said, “We are over the moon with their passion for the project and this is a much-needed wake-up call.
“The problem with plastic is that it is not biodegradable and, consequently, it never disappears. For now, we are focusing on plastic shopping bags, but if we can change the habits of the communities over time, we will be contributing to a cause with real benefits for our society.”
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
