H&M, KappAhl and Lindex to start charging for bags in Sweden

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 5, 2017

H&M, KappAhl and Lindex have joined forces to launch a joint sustainability initiative aimed at reducing consumption of plastic bags and increasing awareness of their negative environmental impact.

From 1 June, the three fashion brands will start charging for all plastic bags in store, with the surplus from these sales going to different charities and causes. The initiative, called ‘One Bag Habit’, will launch initially launch in Sweden and is expected to be expanded into other markets at a later stage.

“Our ambition with the One Bag Habit initiative is to facilitate and speed up the transition to a more sustainable consumption of shopping bags. We want to raise awareness about the bags’ negative environmental impact and we invite all retailers to join the initiative,” said the three fashion chains in a joint statement.

Lindex and H&M are already charging for single-use plastic carrier bags in the UK, where the government introduced a new law requiring large shops to charge 5p for every plastic bag in October 2015, however many countries around the world have been slow to get on board with a levy on plastic bags.

Plastic can take up to 400 years to decompose, can damage wildlife, and its production consumes massive amounts of energy. Cotton bags aren’t a better alternative either, as they require more resources to produce and distribute. Instead, H&M, Lindex and KappAhl are promoting the habit of bringing a bag from home.

The ‘One Bag Habit’ responds to a new EU directive requiring countries to reduce the consumption of plastic bags.