Did you know that plastic bags weren’t invented to be single-use?

That is something that happened over time, however, SPAR is proud to be championing the transition from a traditional linear economy which focuses on taking finite resources, making products, and disposing of them at the end of their life to a circular economy that targets sustainability by reducing, reusing and recycling products.

Here is some good news

• SPAR plastic bags are 100% recyclable.

• SPAR plastic bags are made from 100% recycled plastic material with a minimum of 70% post-consumer waste

(and have been since 2018).

• This results in 4000 tonnes of plastic waste being diverted from landfills, per annum (for equivalent weight context: Imagine 3500 live oak trees growing together - or 3500 giraffes standing in a field).

• By using this method of bag production there is a 40% reduction in the carbon footprint.

You may of course be asking, why bother with recycling plastic? Why not just do away with plastic carrier bags altogether?

Our goal is to get there in the future, however, recycling is beneficial in a developing country such as ours for myriad reasons.

These include:

- job creation (both formal and informal employment to bolster our local economy)

- cost-effectiveness for both retailer and consumer

- it’s an environmentally-friendly and sustainable strategy for plastic waste management

– by recycling the plastic we reduce litter.