British health and beauty retailer Boots has commenced replacing plastic pharmacy bags with compostable bags, Retail Gazette reports.
By March 2020, the retailer aims to replace around 10 million plastic prescription bags with an eco-friendly alternative.
The compostable bags, made of potato starch, can be reused as a bin liner for food waste, the report said.
'Positive Step'
According to Boots UK pharmacy director, Richard Bradley, the initiative is a "positive step" in the company's efforts towards reducing its environmental impact.
The report also quoted Bradley saying that customers "didn’t want to receive their medicines in plastic bags".
Boots has pledged to reduce its plastic use by around 1,300 tonnes each year.
It will cut 149 tonnes of plastic from own-brand Christmas gift ranges, reduce plastic packaging in its deliveries by 76% annually, and make its online deliveries 100% free from plastic by the end of 2020, the report added.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
