Carrier Bag Usage 2005

WASTE AND RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME
Carrier Bag Usage And Attitudes

Benchmark and Target Market Study
Research Findings
March 2005
Prepared for:
Corporate Culture PLC
On behalf of:
WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme)
The Old Academy
21 Horse Fair
Banbury
Oxon OX16 0AH
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Overview of Research Structure
This research project examines consumer use of and attitudes towards free ‘vest
bags’ and ‘Bags for Life’. The research provides an overview of the current market,
and by providing baseline measures it will also allow the effects of any future activity
to be measured. Within the research we also examine opportunities for developing
the Bag for Life concept.
The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage comprises of:-
• An omnibus survey to establish basic data on awareness and use of B4L
• A qualitative study to explore consumer attitudes and beliefs about carrier

bags/B4L, and to identify possible ways of encouraging use of B4L.
Our second stage of research was constructed in the light of the findings from the
first stage, and comprises of:-
• A quantitative benchmark survey to quantify the qualitative findings and

provide a baseline for future tracking of behaviour and attitudes towards vest
bags and B4L.
This report combines the findings from both stages of this project.
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Stage 1 : Qualitative Research
and Omnibus Study

Stage 1 : Qualitative Research
and Omnibus Study
CONTENTS
Page No.
1. INTRODUCTION i
1.1 Background & Purpose i
1.2 Research Objectives iii
1.3 Method & Sample iv
2. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS vi
3. MAIN FINDINGS 1
3.1 Background Observations on the Sample 1
3.2 Current Approach to Shopping 3
3.3 Bag Usage 4
3.4 Role and Perceptions of Single Use Bags 6
3.5 Awareness and Spontaneous Perceptions of B4L 9
3.6 Current Usage of B4L 11
3.7 Reasons for Using B4L vs. Not using 13
3.8 Perceptions of B4L Activity by Different Supermarkets/Outlets 15
3.9 Perceptions of Alternative B4L Products 17
3.10 Ways of Stimulating More/More Extensive Use of B4L 22
Appendices 25
1. Recruitment Questionnaire
2. Discussion Guide
3. Omnibus questions

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background & Purpose
• The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Scottish
Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government have asked the Waste and Resources
Action Programme (WRAP) to investigate the potential of the ‘Bag for Life’ (B4L) scheme
.
• The scheme was designed to reduce significantly the 8 billion free carrier bags given
away by UK retailers each year. Plastic carrier bags are widely seen as an
environmental problem: the inefficient ‘single use’ of free carrier bags and the visible
problem of litter and associated environmental affects.
• The growth in the use of plastic bags demonstrates how deeply they have become
embedded in consumer expectation and behaviour. UK consumption of plastic carrier
bags is estimated at between 60,000-90,000 tonnes per annum which accounts for 3.5-
5.3% of total plastics used in packaging.
• In order to address the plastic bag problem, WRAP is looking to identify mechanisms
that might encourage consumers to change their behaviour and use a B4L instead of
free carrier bags.
• There is some evidence that encouraging people to use a B4L does prompt a reduction
in the use of free plastic bags. A voluntary pilot programme initiated by Durham County
Council achieved significant increases in the sales of B4L and gained the support of local
retailers.
• Through its Retailer Initiative, WRAP is already working with retailers to reduce resource
use and household waste production. The B4L is one element of this over-arching
initiative. Retailers have supported and actively promoted the idea of a national B4L
scheme based on initiatives operated by major supermarket chains such as Tesco,
Sainsbury and M&S.
• WRAP believes that the engagement of retailers in a nationwide scheme can make a
significant difference to consumer behaviour encouraging both reduction in the
consumption of carrier bags and the promotion of re-use. In order to achieve a long term
shift in consumer behaviour, the initiative would need to align itself with retailers’ brand
values and consumers’ desires and expectations.
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• The overall purpose of this programme of research is to explore and understand the
range of consumer behaviour, attitudes and motivations with regard to use of shopping
bags/B4L, and to establish a quantitative benchmark of current behaviour which can be
used as a basis for tracking changes in attitudes/behaviour over time.
• As part of this programme of research, a qualitative target market study was

commissioned designed to explore and establish consumer attitudes and beliefs about
carrier bags/B4L, and identify possible ways of overcoming barriers and encouraging the
use of B4L.
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2. Research Objectives
i. To explore and establish consumers’ current usage of and attitudes towards free
‘single use’ carrier bags.
ii. To investigate factors encouraging/discouraging use of free ‘single use’ carrier bags.
iii. To assess consumers’ awareness and concerns about the environmental impact of
‘single use’ carrier bags.
iv. To examine the incidence and nature of recycling/re-use of ‘single use’ carrier bags
and the factors encouraging/discouraging this.
v. To investigate awareness of, attitudes towards, and propensity to use B4L:

¾ levels and source of awareness
¾ reasons for trial/non-trial
¾ reasons for use/non-use
¾ understanding of B4L concept
¾ factors that might encourage/inhibit usage
¾ perceptions of alternative products.
vi. To identify possible ways of stimulating more extensive use of B4L and/or
alternatives for ‘single use’ carrier bags, such as:
¾ financial reward
¾ incentives (loyalty points, charitable donations, local competitions)
¾ increased awareness of B4L
¾ greater availability of B4L
¾ making B4L a habit.
vii. To obtain consumer reactions to examples of B4L in terms of size and shape,
material used, ease of use, etc.
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3. Method & Sample
• A qualitative methodology was adopted involving a series of 11 group discussions with a

general shopper sample, as follows:
Total London/S.E. East Anglia N.E. Scotland

C2DE females, 18-24 1 1 - - -
BC1 females, 18-24 1 - 1 - -
C2DE females, 25-44 1 - - 1 -
BC1 females, 25-44 1 - - - 1
C2DE females, 45-60 1 - 1 - -
BC1 females, 45-60 1 1 - - -
BC1C2DE females, 60+ 1 - - - 1
C2DE males, 18-44 1 1 - - -
BC1 males, 18-44 1 - - 1 -
C2DE males, 45+ 1 - - - 1
BC1 males, 45+ 1 1 - - -
Total groups 11 4 2 2 3
• Groups were structured to reflect:

¾ age/lifestage
¾ SEG
¾ gender.
• It was agreed that the sample should upweight representation of the female main
supermarket shoppers aged 25-60 and downweight representation of male shoppers on
the basis that the former are likely to be more regular shoppers and have rather more
influence over household decisions to use B4L.
• No specific quotas were imposed on either usage/non-usage of B4L or supermarket

used mainly. Insofar as possible, we included users of a cross-section of the main
players.
• In addition to the standard exclusions (market research, retail marketing, advertising, PR

and journalism) we also excluded those who worked or who had close family working in
retailing, plastic bag manufacture, waste collection and recycling. Employees and active
members of environmental lobby groups were also excluded.
• Respondents were recruited using a screening questionnaire (appendix 1).
• Discussions followed a topic guide (appendix 2) and lasted approximately 1½ hours.

They were tape-recorded for subsequent reference and analysis.
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• Fieldwork took place between 2nd and 16th February in the following locations:
¾ London (Southgate)
¾ South East (Reading)
¾ East Anglia (Ramsey)
¾ North East (Durham)
¾ Scotland (Houston)
• Fieldwork locations were selected in the light of the findings of the omnibus research
carried out prior to the start of the qualitative fieldwork. Locations were selected to
ensure representation of areas of high vs. low usage and urban vs. rural, as follows:
High usage Low usage Urban Rural

Greater London/South East √ √
East Anglia √ √
North East √ √
Scotland √ √
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2. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS
• The findings of this research indicate that the term ‘single use bags’ is something of a
misnomer. Only one or two respondents claim that they discard these bags after only
one use. The overwhelming majority claim to re-use these bags for a variety of other
purposes including rubbish disposal, carrying sports kit, etc. Some are taking surplus
bags back to supermarket recycling banks.
• As single use bags are freely available in supermarkets and there is little or no evidence
of checkout staff seeking to limit the amount customers use, few see much need to re-
use these bags when food/grocery shopping. However, there is some feeling that should
supermarkets start charging for single use bags (c.f. Aldi, Lidl) this might make them
think again.
• With the exception of the planned, regular weekly food/grocery shop, most other
shopping, especially from the High Street, is fairly impromptu and impulse.
• In the High Street, single use bags are usually offered at checkout, and most accept
these with their purchases. For clothes purchase, especially from more fashionable,
expensive outlets, customers expect stores to provide a bag for a variety of reasons,
e.g.:
¾ it says they shop at prestige outlets
¾ it is a reinforcement of the pleasure of buying the item
¾ it is proof of purchase when leaving the store
¾ it is easier to return items in the original packaging.
• There are hints that unwillingness to risk challenge or attract attention is sometimes
given as a reason for not re-using bags when shopping.
• There are indications that neither the ‘bag for life’ concept nor the idea that supermarkets
would replace a B4L free of charge when worn out has, as yet, really registered with the
majority of respondents.
• Only a minority have bought a B4L. Whilst some did so for environmental reasons,
others bought because they needed a stronger/larger bag at the time. That having been
said, regular re-usage of a B4L is not universal. More commonly, a B4L is re-used if
and when respondents remember to do so.
• Significantly, for most, the term ‘bag for life’ is synonymous with the bags which can be
bought at supermarket checkouts.
• Barriers to greater re-use of B4Ls include:
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¾ feeling that it is somehow not the done thing to use a B4L bought in one
supermarket chain in another chain’s outlet
¾ not wanting to look ‘cheap’ using a branded supermarket B4L in other stores
¾ unwillingness to put new clothes, etc. into a bag previously used for food
shopping, especially vegetables or other wet food.
• Apart from the minority who have bought a B4L, awareness of the availability of B4Ls in
supermarkets is fairly low. There seems to be little evidence of checkout staff actively
promoting B4Ls.
• In terms of alternative B4L products:

¾ heavy gauge plastic is seen as appropriate and more durable than paper
¾ there is some support for fabric/textile bags
¾ design on the bag needs to be fairly neutral to widen appeal to acceptability to
both men and women and across the different age groups.
• However, it should be appreciated that the dominant use of single use bags has
encouraged other kinds of re-usable bags to be seen as old fashioned, for older people,
especially women.
• Thus trolleys, string bags, square canvas bags, etc. are perceived by many as ‘not for
me’, regardless of their functionality.
• Whilst some allowance must be made for a degree of posturing, this sensitivity
demonstrated that the design and appearance of bags is likely to impact on take-up of
the B4L concept.
• In order to overcome these hurdles, promotion of B4L will not only need to raise
awareness. It will also need to address the imagery and associations of re-usable bags.
• Consumers will need to be fully educated about the existence of B4L and informed how
and why they represent a practical and effective means of addressing the environmental
problems of single use bags. They will also need to be persuaded to use B4L as a
matter of habit.
• There are indications that, currently, retailers/supermarkets are not really promoting
B4Ls and that more could be done to raise customers’ awareness of the B4L option.
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• Other ways retailers could incentivise/encourage consumers to get into the B4L habit
might include:
¾ charging for single use bags
¾ offering loyalty points for re-using B4ls
¾ donations to a (local) charity for re-using B4Ls
¾ money off for B4L usage.
• More generally, we believe that a co-ordinated marketing approach is required:

¾ a communications strategy needs to be developed which would involve educating
and motivating consumers;
¾ supermarkets/retailers need to be encouraged to give greater priority to
promoting B4Ls and their regular usage.
• Ideally, a mass media advertising campaign operating both in the national media and at
point of sale would help to kick start the shift towards increased usage of B4L.
• That having been said, we suspect that, given the current association of B4Ls with
food/grocery shopping, any build up of B4L usage would need to start in the
supermarkets. In time, and with education, consumers should become more aware and
accustomed to re-using bags beyond the supermarket context.
2.1 Omnibus Findings
• The overall picture emerging from the omnibus survey was fairly flat with less marked
differences by age, gender and SEG than might have been anticipated.
• In terms of awareness of B4L just over ¾ claimed to have heard of B4L. Awareness
was somewhat higher amongst ABs (83%), women (82%) and the 45-64 age group
(78%). It was lower amongst men (69%) and DEs (70%). B4L awareness was higher in
the South and Midlands than in the North. It was highest in East Anglia (84%) and
lowest in the North East (73%.)
• One third of the sample had ever bought a B4L. Purchase was slanted towards women
(42%) rather than men (24%). Purchase was higher amongst the 45+ age group and
lower amongst 16-24s (17%). Purchase was higher in the Midlands and South than in
the North. Levels of purchase were highest in Wales (41%) and Greater London (38%)
and lowest in the North East (26%) and South West (27%).
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• In the sample as a whole only 10% (one-third of B4L purchasers) claimed to use their
B4L just about every time they went shopping. A large minority of B4L purchasers (41%)
admitted that they used their B4L occasionally or less often.
• B4L owners’ propensity to use their B4L was strongly influenced by type of shopping.
• Around half claimed that they would use their B4L or re-use other bags or their own bag
when shopping at supermarkets and half said they would use free carrier bags provided
by the supermarket.
• When shopping for clothes the overwhelming majority (85%) used the free carrier bags
provided by the shop at the time. Likewise most used free carrier bags when shopping
in the high street (63%) and when DIY shopping (69%).
• Taken as a whole the omnibus findings suggest that even amongst B4L purchasers
willingness to use B4L was quite constrained and limited. This implied that there was a
major task to extend usage amongst current purchasers and to persuade non-users to
give B4L a try.
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3. MAIN FINDINGS
3.1 Background Observations on the Sample
• Our sample included a wide spread, ranging from young girls through to the elderly.
• Whilst most were driving/being driven to the supermarkets, a few were using public
transport.
• Some respondents, mainly 25+, were taking part in some recycling, but this was largely
because it was fairly simple and convenient for them to do so, e.g. kerbside collections/
green boxes supplied by the local Council, bottle/aluminium banks in supermarket car
parks, etc.
• However, indications that for those with family (young/teenage children) and who were
also working, recycling was fairly low on their list of priorities. They did what they could if
it was convenient and easy for them to do.
“I try and only take things to be recycled when I’m driving in

that direction anyway. I don’t make a separate journey for it.
… Taking all your stuff to the dump to be recycled, the much
that comes out of your exhaust pipe probably does more
damage!”
(BC1 women, 45-60, South East)
• Younger respondents, both male and female, did not appear to be too motivated by
environmental considerations.
• Given the wide age range and demographic spread in the sample, predictably, ideas
about bags varied a great deal.
• Significantly, it was widely felt that people were assessed by the bag they carried.
“It’s all about image, it’s all about how other people look at you
and how you’re portrayed by the bag that you’re carrying.”
(BC1 women, 18-24, East Anglia)
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“In my case, unintentionally, I look at the bag and the bag itself
might reflect the personality of the person.”
(BC1 men, 18-44, North East)
• Thus, young women had strong ideas about bags that their mothers or grandmothers
had, and that they would not be seen dead with.
• Men were sensitive about being seen with bags that they saw as too feminine and were
apprehensive about what this might say to other men about their virility.
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3.2 Current Approach to Shopping
• Respondents’ approach to shopping depended on whether it was routine/mundane (e.g.

food/grocery) or recreational (clothes, hobbies, etc.)
• Many claimed to visit supermarkets 2-3 times a week:

¾ mothers with teenage children at home were likely to do a weekly main shop and
then top up during the week;
¾ for single/divorced and pre-family respondents food buying was often fairly
unplanned/impromptu and done when they were running low/out of supplies at
home.
• Older respondents were more likely to do a regular weekly food shop, often with their
partners/spouses.
• Young respondents (18-24), mainly female, still living at home might accompany their
mothers to a supermarket, but basically had little interest in grocery shopping per se.
• Few claimed to find food shopping a pleasurable experience.
• In contrast, ‘recreational’ shopping for clothes, hobbies, electrical goods, etc. whilst less
frequent was seen as a somewhat more enjoyable experience.
• Interest in clothes shopping was largely confined to younger respondents and women.
Typically, clothes buying was done during lunch breaks/at weekends and was usually
regarded as something of a shopping occasion. The women bought their clothes mainly
from high street chains (M&S, Gap, Next), although one respondent claimed to buy
exclusively from charity shops. Those on restricted incomes mainly bought their clothes
from discount stores, e.g. Primark.
• Men tended to be less interested in clothes purchase and bought as and when
necessary. Some older men left it to their wives to do their clothes buying.
• Interest in DIY shopping was mainly limited to men and a few women. DIY purchases
were likely to be occasional and prompted by a specific need.
• Other types of recreational shopping tended to be more indulgent and infrequent.
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3.3 Bag Usage
• Amongst the majority, widespread propensity to use bags offered/supplied by the outlets
at point of sale – seen as normal practice to use free bags from shop.
• In supermarkets, this resulted in overwhelming majority using single use bags on most
shopping expeditions.
• In situations where they were carrying heavier items (bottles, tins) claims of doubling up
bags for added strength.
• Some reference to checkout staff automatically pulling down single use bags and/or
packing the shopping for them as they scanned the items.
• Also, to packers at the checkout being quite profligate with the single use bags and not
trying to fill them up.
• Some observations of shoppers (and staff) seeking to separate items when packing, e.g.
not jumbling tins with pastries, raw meat with vegetables, etc.
• This prompted use of more single use bags as opposed to maximising capacity of
individual bags, and it also minimised the risk of handles tearing/bags splitting.
• A small minority (mainly in the older age groups) claimed that they had got into the habit
of regular B4L use.
• A further minority claimed to have bought one or more B4L at some time but were not
using them regularly nowadays (or indeed, at all). There were extensive references to
forgetting to take them when they went to the supermarket or having mislaid them.
• Bag usage on the High street largely depended on the items bought. For things like
toiletries, magazines/stationery, etc., bags were usually offered at checkout. Sometimes,
respondents claimed they would do without, but for the majority there was a passive
acceptance of the bag offered.
“It wouldn’t occur to take a plastic bag with you especially if

you were going to go clothes shopping.”
(C2DE women. 18-24, South East)
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• In clothes shops, especially the more expensive outlets, being seen with the bag was
central to the purchase process:
¾ it was a badge that they were shopping at prestige outlets
¾ a reinforcement of the pleasure of buying the item
¾ proof of purchase when leaving the store
¾ easier to return items in original packaging.
• There was also some feeling that the shops were using the bags to promote the store
and that assistants would be reluctant to let customers leave the store without a bag or
use a bag for another outlet.
• One respondent claimed that when she was younger she used to buy small items from
fashionable outlets in order to collect their bags.
• Those on more restricted budgets who were buying day to day clothes from discount
stores (e.g. Primark) would still have their purchase put into a bag initially although they
might stuff the bag into another shopping/carrier bag once out on the street.
“There was a shop in Glasgow called What Every Woman

Wants. My son and daughter-in-law both worked in the offices
facing there and they used to watch people coming out of there
and putting their shopping into an M&S bag because they
wouldn’t walk along the street with What Every Woman Wants
because it was a cheap shop.”
(BC1C2DE women, 60+, Scotland)
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3.4 Role and Perceptions of Single Use Bags
• Across the sample, single use bags seen as a lightweight, flexible, practical and useful
tool for carrying and containing things.
• Furthermore, they were free and plentiful – there was no evidence of checkout staff
trying to limit the number of bags taken by customers. Indeed, some reported instances
of checkout staff offering/agreeing to double up single use bags to strengthen them.
“When I run out of them I’ll go down to the supermarket and

buy a pint of milk or something and take 5 or 6 of them, and
nobody’s every said anything.”
(BC1 men, 45+, South East)
• Indications of very high re-usage of single use bags for a variety of purposes, including:
¾ lining waste paper baskets
¾ bagging up wet/smelly food items before putting in the bin
¾ as a ‘glove’ for picking up dog poo/other unpleasant messes
¾ containing dirty nappies
¾ carrying muddy/wet clothes (sports equipment/kit)
¾ carrying miscellaneous items
¾ filing system for papers
¾ etc.
• Also, supermarket branding on most single use bags seen as fairly neutral, every day,
ordinary, not making any statements about the person carrying it.
• Indications that ‘single use’ something of a misnomer for bags which have many other
uses beyond their initial role as something to bring the shopping home in.
“I’ve got teenagers and we constantly have them in the bins

upstairs and I’m emptying them all the time and changing
them. I use them to put things in, I store my tins in one, the
bottles in another and I keep them all different places. And
then the papers when I’m keeping them to re-cycle them.”
(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)
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• Relatively limited reference to discarding single use bags after one use. Most
households had a storage system for keeping these bags. However, one or two younger
respondents did admit to binning them once they had unpacked their shopping.
• Limited awareness that some supermarkets had bins for recycling single use bags.
Some, mainly older respondents, had done this for excess bags; others had simply
thrown them out with general household rubbish when they had too many/run out of
storage space.
• Men found the shape of single use bags convenient for carrying a large number at the
same time. For women, the limited capacity of each single use bag meant that they
were unlikely to be too heavy to lift/carry out of supermarket trolley into car, into the
house, etc.
• Little evidence of people re-using single use bags when shopping in large, main
supermarkets.
• However, for outlets which charged for bags, e.g. Lidl, Aldi, some recall of seeing people
taking old single use bags along.
• Amongst a minority, there was some spontaneous concern that because single use bags
are non-biodegradable they can:
¾ lead to unsightly litter and defacing of the countryside
¾ harm to wildlife
¾ take a long time to decay (estimates ranged from 100 to 500 years).
“You see the poly bags hanging from the trees. Poly trees we
call them. They’re an eyesore.”
(C2DE men, 45+, Scotland)
• Top of mind awareness of the adverse environmental consequence of single use bags
was fairly limited. Rather, most seemed relatively not troubled by the adverse affect of
single use bags.
• (In contrast, there was fairly extensive spontaneous concern about excess packaging
used by supermarkets on food, confectionery and toiletry items.)
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• Other negatives to single use bags included:
¾ propensity to split/tear (even for new bags) if caught by sharp edges or
overloaded
¾ biodegradable bags (e.g. from ASDA) seen as thin and flimsy.
“The flimsy ones, why they introduced them is so they would

be biodegradable but because of that you can only put three
things in before they fall apart.”
(BC1 women, 45-60, London)
• There was some awareness that other countries were trying to reduce the use of single
use bags:
¾ consumers were being charged for them in Ireland
¾ in the USA shops were providing large brown paper bags
¾ in France, many supermarkets did not provide single use bags and customers
either brought their own baskets or used empty cardboard cartons.
“In Ireland if you want a poly bag you pay five cents which
goes to the environment.”
“If you go to America it’s all brown paper bags.”
• In Scotland there were references to the fact that B&Q were charging for single use
bags.
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3.5 Awareness and Spontaneous Perceptions of B4L
• Indications that the ‘bag for life’ concept had not, as yet, really registered with the
majority of respondents.
• The name ‘bag for life’ raised a few wry smiles from some women, who saw it as a
potential source of some amusement for their men folk and thought a more neutral term
could be found.
“I bet some man has said that he has a woman and that she’s
his bag for life!”
• Most respondents had not taken on board the idea that supermarkets would replace
B4Ls free of charge when worn out and that they could be recycled.
• Significantly, across the sample, ‘bag for life’ was given a rather narrow definition as the
bigger, stronger plastic bags bought from supermarkets which could be re-used. The
B4L concept was not extended to durable bags which were re-used whenever they went
shopping.
• However, there were some doubts as to how widely re-usable a B4L was. Some felt
rather uncomfortable with the idea of re-using a B4L bought in one supermarket chain in
another chain’s outlet. There was some feeling that this was somehow ‘not done’, and
that store staff might have something to say/look askance.
• Respondents claimed they would be very unlikely to re-use a B4L in other high street
shops, especially more upmarket clothes shops because:
¾ it seemed slightly cheap, ‘naff’
¾ there were some concerns about large bags attracting the attention of store
security and possibly being accused of shoplifting
¾ store assistants would probably disapprove of such behaviour and comment
adversely.
“To tell you the truth, whether it be New Look or French

Connection, and I buy a top for £5 or £50, and they gave me it
and I paid for it and I said, ‘it’s OK, I’ve got a Tesco bag for life’
they would probably snigger at me, they would say ‘what an
idiot’!”
“No I wouldn’t because someone would think I was shoplifting.

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Take a Phase Eight bag into Next and say ‘you can put it in
here’? Number one, they wouldn’t do it and number two it
would look like I shoplifted, I wouldn’t do that, not under any
circumstances.”
“They know you’ve paid for it if it’s in their bag If you see
someone walking out of a shop and they’re putting something
into their bag you would think they were shoplifting.”
• Beyond this, there was also considerable resistance to the idea of putting new clothes,
etc. into a bag previously used for food shopping, especially if it had been used for
vegetables or other wet food.
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3.6 Current Usage of B4L
• Whilst there seems to be a sizeable segment who have bought a B4L at some time,
regular usage of these bags was confined to a small minority who seemed consciously to
have bought into the B4L concept and claimed to have several B4Ls which they took as
a matter of course on main food shopping expeditions.
• Some hints that those who walked to the supermarket/used public transport might use a
B4L because they were stronger, more durable and less likely to split.
• A further segment had bought B4Ls at some time apparently because they needed a
larger/stronger bag rather than for any environmental reasons.
• Whilst most of the B4Ls bought had been the 10p plastic bags, a few had bought the
M&S fabric bags. One respondent had bought a couple of green bags in Ireland when
on holiday a few years previously.
• One respondent had bought a B4L because there were no other bags available at
checkout.
• Significantly, across the sample, many respondents only discovered in the groups that
B4Ls could be replaced free of charge.
• However, there were signs of some resistance to the idea of asking the check out
assistant to replace a torn/worn out B4L. Many, especially younger respondents, felt it
would be too embarrassing for such a low value item, and might make them look mean
and niggardly.
• One respondent had tried unsuccessfully to replace a B4L.
“I tried to change one and depending on which store you’re in

they won’t take a bag from another store. In Tesco he wouldn’t
give me a new bag because the one I had was either
Sainsbury’s or Waitrose.”
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• At this stage, the following segmentation of B4L usage is mooted:
¾ Regular users:
> seemingly more organised, older shoppers who had worked out a system
for ensuring that they went to a supermarket equipped with B4L (e.g.
keeping a bag of B4L in the garage/car, storing B4L in the car having
unpacked their groceries, etc.)
> suspicion that regular B4L usership may be linked to regular (weekly),
planned shopping trips
> some had more than one B4L.
“I have eight of those bags and I fold them all into one bag and
take it to the shop every week.”
(C2DE men, 45+, Scotland)
¾ Purchasers and occasional users:

> purchase had often been spur of the moment or because they had heavier
items, e.g. bottles/cans, to carry and were unsure about whether single
use bags would be up to it
> however, few remembered to take their B4L with them when they went
shopping and some could not remember where they had put their B4L
¾ Purchasers but not re-users:

> have purchased because they needed a stronger bag
> but either have mislaid the bag and are not concerned about buying
another if and when needed
> or would not bother to re-use.
“I’ve worked in shops before where old people have brought in

their own bags and you think ‘how sad’.”
(C2DE women, 18-24, South East)
¾ Non-B4L purchasers:
> non-purchase was mainly because they were not aware of B4L
> a small minority resisted paying for a bag, especially when supermarkets
were providing an unlimited supply of single use bags free.
“It’s because you can get bags for free that you won’t pay 10p
… the other thing is, you are advertising the company, you end
up paying to advertise their stores when you’ve paid to shop
there anyway. Why should I pay to promote your store?”
y:jn2094\2094pres
3.7 Reasons for Using B4L vs. Not Using
• Reasons for using included:

¾ larger bag – holds more
¾ better for carrying heavy/heavier items
¾ more durable
¾ gusseted base makes it more stable in car
¾ does not cost very much for a more durable bag
¾ better for the environment than single use bags
¾ got into the habit.
• Reasons for not using included:

¾ not aware of B4L
¾ lack of promotion
¾ prefer single use bags
¾ used to single use bag functionality and flexibility
¾ see no need/incentive to buy one
¾ resist paying for a carrier bag (on top of shopping bill)
¾ not aware of environmental issue/not moved by environmental concern
¾ forget/cannot remember to take again
¾ reluctance to muddle up all food in one bag
¾ concern that bag will get smelly and nasty if something has leaked or moisture
retained
¾ can’t really re-use B4L that has been used for food for other shopping
¾ designs on B4L a bit too feminine (for some men)
¾ B4L do not impart a very positive image
¾ B4L too big to carry comfortably/lift easily from trolley (for some women).
“It’s not the issue of whether I’m bothered being seen with a
bag or not, it’s the fact that I wouldn’t remember to take one
with me.”
“They’re actually quite big. If they pack the bags for you, you
can’t lift the damn thing. … And when they get worn and start
looking grubby, it makes me feel like a tramp.”
y:jn2094\2094pres
• Amongst both users and non-users there was some feeling that it would not really be
right to use a B4L in the same retailer’s outlets (i.e. they could not use a Tesco B4L in
Sainsbury’s).
• For those who shopped across different multiples this presented a further barrier as it
seemed to impose yet another layer of pre-shopping organisation to sort and take the
‘correct’ bags.
y:jn2094\2094pres
3.8 Perceptions of B4L Activity by Different Supermarkets/Outlets
• Overall, few seemed aware of much, if any, B4L promotional activity being undertaken
by supermarkets or other outlets.
• Recall was limited to:

¾ B4L displays at the checkouts in Waitrose, Tesco, ASDA and Sainsbury’s
¾ seeing the big woven Sainsbury’s bag at checkout
¾ green fabric bags at M&S checkout
¾ seeing insulated carrier bags at Iceland.
• Little or no evidence that supermarket staff were suggesting or encouraging shoppers to

buy/ use B4L. Indeed, there were claims that in some supermarkets there were no B4L
displays at the checkout; in others, the B4L display was tucked away and not very
prominent at POS.
“They just assume that you want loads of these poly bags.
They don’t every say ‘would you like to buy this bag and when
it wears out we’ll replace it. It’s 10p’. As soon as you get there
they’re pulling all the bags down and opening them for you.”
• Furthermore, there was no recall of any posters or other promotional material at POS
seeking to explain the B4L concept and encourage usage.
• There was no recall of checkout assistants asking if a customer would like a B4L.
Rather, respondents often remarked on how checkout staff would be pulling down/
opening out single use bags before starting to scan the shopping.
“You always have to ask for a stronger bag. They never ask
you.”
• Significantly, there was very little recall or awareness of B4L promotional campaign in
Durham. One or two women recalled the Council providing small bags for
schoolchildren, but nothing on a wider scale. The men were not aware of any B4L
promotional activity.
y:jn2094\2094pres
“We’re not made aware of the damage that bag is doing. If we
were made more aware … Nobody ever mentions carrier bags.
All this recycling of tins and bottles, whoever mentions carrier
bags?”
• Bags provided in fashion outlets were seen as advertising for the outlet and therefore did
not fall within the B4L orbit.
y:jn2094\2094pres
3.9 Perceptions of Alternative B4L Products
• ‘Bag for Life’ was almost exclusively associated with the large, stronger plastic bag
costing 10p from the supermarkets. The descriptor ‘bag for life’ was not extended to
other bags which were variously referred to as ‘carrier bags’, ‘plastic bags’, ‘poly bags’.
• The standard B4L was seen as functional and useful, especially for carrying heavier
items. However, the designs on the examples attracted some resistance:
¾ Tesco – felt to be rather gaudy and too childish, especially for men and young
people, although women with children felt it had some charm
¾ Sainsbury’s – the colour was too loud and stridently orange
¾ Somerfield – had some low key appeal to men because it was so sub-fusc;
women found it drab
¾ M&S – quite attractive and classy to women, but a little too feminine for men
¾ Booths – the image was quite attractive, but the appeal of the bag lay in the idea
of a charity benefiting (although this information was in very small print and not
immediately noticed).
• In more general terms, on all of these bags the store branding was pretty prominent, and
this was felt to inhibit their re-use in other outlets.
• Also, some older women thought that fully laden, the bags might be too big/heavy to
carry and lift from trolley to car.
• Furthermore, on the Somerfield and M&S bags, the explanation of the B4L concept was
on the gusset base. This meant few, if any, would get to see it.
• Indeed, many had not noted the offer of exchange on other B4L bags where it was more
prominently displayed, e.g. Sainsbury’s.
• The M&S fabric bags appealed to many women, although the rather virulent green,
prominent M&S branding, and cost limited their overall appeal.
• Men felt they resembled women’s handbags which limited their relevance to them.
(Moreover, some men pointed out that the larger fabric bag with the solid handles would
be very difficult to carry if it was fully laden.)
• The smaller M&S bag was seen as convenient for carrying around, but seemed to have
limited capacity.
• The darker green and more discreet branding of the Superquinn bag was more
y:jn2094\2094pres
acceptable, especially to men who also found its square shape less feminine than the
waisted M&S version. However, it was seen as being a bit small for their grocery
shopping needs.
• Respondents thought the large Sainsbury’s bag with the plastic weave material and the
rigid base would probably be stronger and more robust than the standard B4L.
However, its overall appeal was limited by:
¾ its size – too big for (shorter) women to carry comfortably and, when full, possibly
to heavy to lift
¾ the colour
¾ the cost (70p) – especially for those who resisted paying 10p for a plastic B4L.
• The colour and design on the Carrefour bag was fresh, muted and quite attractive. The
bottle strap inside (when noticed) was seen as a clever idea. However, this bag was
often rejected fairly quickly because it was even bigger than the Sainsbury’s bag and
therefore likely to be even more awkward to lift/carry.
• Bags from fashion outlets, e.g. Monsoon, FCUK, etc., whilst a must for new purchases,
were usually not regarded as a ‘bag for life’.
• Amongst women, especially younger, indications that some were likely to keep the
prettier, more decorative, stylish bags. But, their potential for re-use was seen as fairly
limited, e.g.:
¾ holding gifts for friends (e.g. a bottle of wine when going round for dinner)
¾ decorative storage for personal effects (e.g. cosmetics).
• There was some anecdotal evidence of younger, late teenage girls collecting bags from
different fashion outlets for the sake of it.
“When I left home I had something like 200 of these bags

which I’d collected under my bed. I had to throw them away
because I had nowhere to take them. My mum was really sad
to see them go.”
(C2DE females, 18-24, South East)
• Men across the different age groups were fairly adamant that they would not be seen re-
using a fashion outlet bag because of the image associations. Being seen with a new
bag said they had the money and taste to go to these outlets; re-using these bags gave
out more negative messages about the sort of person they were.
“If I have a new one of those [Monsoon] other blokes will say
‘he’s going to get lucky tonight’. If I see another bloke walking
around carrying a Monsoon bag that’s already been used I’d
y:jn2094\2094pres
cross the road to get away from him.”
(BC1 males, 18-44, North East)
• Bags from Monsoon, Accessorize, FCUK, etc., made of paper had limited potential as
possible ‘bags for life’ because paper was not seen as particularly practical in wet
weather. However, a smaller bag, e.g. Muji, might be useful for carrying sandwiches to
work, but this was seen as recycling – the bag was likely then to be discarded rather
than re-used again.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but it rains quite a lot up here

and a paper bag wouldn’t last two minutes.”
(BC1 women, 25-44, Scotland)
• The plastic bags (River Island, Zara, etc.) might be re-used for carrying things, e.g. wet
sports kit, or re-cycled, but were not seen as ‘bags for life’ in the sense of being re-used
over and over whenever they went shopping.
“That big House of Fraser bag, that’s the kind of thing I’d use
for taking clothes to the charity shop in, aye.”
(BC1 women, 25-44, Scotland)
• Amongst the men there was some muted approval of the Hatchards bags. Both the
laminated paper and plastic version were seen as strong and sturdy. The dark green on
the paper bag was not unattractive, and the shape was described as masculine. The
plastic version was acceptable for carrying lunch to work. However, in both cases, any
likely re-use was going to be fairly short term and limited.
• Bags from designer stores met with a very mixed response. On the one hand, amongst
the more upmarket women who did occasionally shop from Liberty, Harvey Nicholls, etc.,
there was a slight cachet to be seen with a smart bag. If they were going to re-use a bag
they would be more likely to use a Harvey Nicholls bag than a John Lewis bag.
“I use a small one of those [Fortnum’s] to take my lunch to

work. I wouldn’t take it in an old plastic bag from Sainsbury’s.
That’s terribly snobbish, isn’t it!”
y:jn2094\2094pres
• On the other hand, the more downmarket felt that being seen re-using a bag from a
designer store might invite adverse comment from their friends/peer group.
• The men were fairly indifferent to bags from designer stores and thought they might re-
use them if they needed to. However, the Liberty bag was generally rejected because of
its shape.
“That’s a woman’s handbag!”
(BC1 men, 18-44, North East)
• Respondents were also shown three fabric totes/shoppers. The green nylon peacock
feather design met with some low key approval amongst older women, who quite liked
the muted colour. They could see themselves taking it to work with them to carry things
like book, umbrella, packed lunch, and perhaps some small items of shopping.
However, its shape and size was not seen as suitable for larger items.
• The shape of the floral print bag was acceptable, but the fabric design had little appeal.
It was often described as a “nanna bag”.
“You look like a granny hanging around with a flowery bag. it

doesn’t look great.”
• The striped fabric bag was seen as a beach bag for the holidays. Whilst older
respondents imagined it would appeal to the young, younger respondents rejected it as
not 'cool' and for older people.
• The Monoprix bag in its own little pouch appealed to older women, who saw it as neat
and stylish. Indeed, one respondent had a plain black version in her handbag.
However, younger respondents saw it as something of a hassle to take it out of the
pouch when they wanted to use it and then have to remember to replace it afterwards.
• Not surprisingly, the men unanimously rejected all these bags as anything they would be
seen carrying.
“The wife can carry that one with the stripes when we go to the
beach and I’m following behind with all the heavy gear. A long
way behind.”
(BC1 men, 45+, South East)
y:jn2094\2094pres
• Respondents were also shown photographs of examples of re-usable bags:
¾ the string bag was almost universally rejected by both men and women. Some
older respondents who could remember using string bags recalled that they
gradually lost their shape and stretched, and that smaller items were prone to
falling out
¾ the satchel type was seen as mainly for young people/teenagers, although some
older women found it acceptable. The idea of a slogan attracted a mixed
response – some were resistant to the idea of going around making a statement;
others were fairly neutral;
¾ the cloth bag was, overall, slightly more appealing than the satchel, but attracted
much the same response with regard to the slogan
¾ the expandable net bag was universally rejected. Respondents resisted the idea
of other people being able to see what they had bought.
“You wouldn’t want to walk down the street and everybody

seeing your box of Lillets!”
• Significantly, apart from the re-usable bags bought in supermarkets, respondents could
not see themselves re-using any of the alternatives for their grocery/food shopping.
• Of the other possible formats for re-usable bags:

¾ shopping trolleys were strongly associated with old people
¾ rucksacks were seen as possibly suitable for young people who were doing
small amounts of grocery shopping. They were not thought to be appropriate or
practical for those doing bigger/weekly shops.
“A trolley?! No, I’m sorry but we’re too young.”
(BC1 women, 45-60, South East)
“My niece brought one back from Paris for my mum, a

designer trolley. It’s pink and all bonny colours and when she
came back she gave it to her gran. She wouldn’t use it when
she came back to England, but she used it in France.”
y:jn2094\2094pres
3.10 Ways of Stimulating More / More Extensive Use of B4L
• We suspect that currently supermarkets were going through the motions rather than
really seeking to change customer behaviour with regard to bag usage. Customers were
following the supermarkets’ lead.
• Indications that currently take up and usage of B4L was being held back by a
combination of factors relating to:
¾ consumer awareness and understanding of the problem
¾ consumer awareness and acceptance of B4L as a satisfactory solution
¾ ingrained habit amongst most consumers of accepting bag supplied by store
¾ supermarkets promoting/encouraging purchase of B4L
¾ supermarkets encouraging re-use of B4L/discouraging use of single use bags at
POS
¾ consumers remembering to re-use B4L /developing a B4L habit
¾ stores developing policies that encourage B4L usage (e.g. charging for single use
bags, not using bag as proof of purchase, etc.)
• In order to start changing behaviour in this area there needs to be changes to both the
consumer and retailer approach:
Amongst Consumers…
• As yet most have not really taken on board single use bags as a problem that needs to
be addressed. They need to be made more conscious of and concerned about the
adverse environmental impact of single use bags, the length of time they take to decay,
the unsightly and harmful effects of litter etc., and what they can do to alleviate this
problem.
• Following on from this most consumers still need to be fully educated about the
existence of B4L and informed how and why they represent a practical and effective
means of addressing the scourge of single use bags.
• Finally consumers need to be persuaded to use B4L as a matter of habit and to

overcome any real or imagined inhibitions that they might have about being seen with
these bags.
y:jn2094\2094pres
Amongst Retailers …
• More could be done to raise awareness of B4Ls by, for example, displaying them more
prominently at checkouts and having posters, etc., advertising their existence.
• Furthermore checkout staff might invite customers to try B4L, and at the same time be
less extravagant with free single use bags.
• Supermarkets could also promote B4Ls as an environmentally friendly option to single

use bags, e.g. B4Ls can be recycled, are stronger than single use bags, etc
• Charging for single use bags would also provide a further incentive to encourage use of
B4Ls. It was frequently noted that in Aldi and Lidl, where there was a charge of 3p for
each single use bag, customers were more inclined to re-use old single use bags.
• Retailers might also consider other ways of incentivising/encouraging consumers to get

into the B4L habit by:
¾ offering loyalty points for re-using B4Ls
¾ money off for B4L usage.
“You are already getting loyalty points anyway and they add
up. You don’t think about loyalty points every trip, you just
think about them when they come in the post every few
months when you’ve got £5 off or £10 off or whatever.”
(BC1 men, North East)
• The idea of supermarkets/retailers offering to donate money to charity met with a mixed
response. There was some feeling that a local charity might be easier for people to
identify with. However, many were sceptical about how any such scheme would or could
work in practice.
• For these schemes to be acceptable to all consumers, the definition of B4L would need
to be extended to where customers use their own bag.
• Currently, High Street outlets seem to have little interest in promoting the B4L concept.
Consideration might be given to developing initiatives which could help to bring them on
board.
y:jn2094\2094pres
More generally …
• There was some feeling that a generic B4L identity and branding would help to
communicate the B4L concept and values as well as making them more universally
appealing and acceptable across different outlets.
• In this context, consideration might be given to making the design of the supermarket
bags more neutral and acceptable to all, with less focus on store branding.
• To develop some momentum behind a shift towards greater usage of B4L, a co-
ordinated marketing approach is required.
• A communications strategy needs to be developed which would involve educating and

then motivating consumers. At the same time there is a need for the supermarkets to
give greater priority to promoting B4Ls and their regular usage .
• Ideally, a mass media advertising campaign operating both in the national media and at
point of sale, would help to kick start the shift towards B4L.
“Why don’t the government advertise the benefits of these

bags? People don’t know about the environmental damage
from all these poly bags.”
(C2DE males, 45+, Scotland)
• There were some suggestions that both the education process about B4L and
developing the motivation to use B4L might be stimulated and enhanced via school
initiatives encouraging children to encourage their parents to get involved.
“If they told our kids at school and they came home and started
telling us then it would make us older ones aware who don’t
normally listen to things. When your kids are telling you things,
if you go into schools and preach to the kids how important it is
to re-use your carrier bags the kids then come home and tell
us adults. You would listen then.”
• At this stage we suspect that any build up of B4L usage needs to start in the
supermarkets. In the High Street, there are additional barriers, relating to the fact that
the shopping is often less planned and the shopping itself is more indulgent and image-
laden.
• In time and with education consumers should become more aware and accustomed to
re-using bags beyond the supermarket context.
y:jn2094\2094pres
APPENDICES
1. Recruitment Questionnaire
2. Discussion Guide
3. Omnibus Questionnaire
y:jn2094\2094pres
Andrew Irving Associates JN2094
Lloyds Bank Buildings Recruitment Questionnaire
Muswell Hill Broadway
London N10 3RZ January 2005
Tel. 020 8444 5678
Respondent’s Name: Sex: Male 1

Female 2
Address:
Post Code: Group Date: ……………………
Telephone: Group Time: ……………………
Good morning / afternoon. I am from Andrew Irving Associates and we are conducting some
market research in this area on people’s attitudes towards shopping. Could you help us,
please? Thank you very much, but first of all can I ask a few questions to make sure that we
talk to the right cross-section of people.
Q1. Do you or any members of your immediate family/close friends work in/for …
READ OUT/SHOW CARD A
Market research 1
Retail marketing 2
Retailer or consumer advertising 3
Public Relations or Journalism 4
Retailing, i.e. shops or stores 5
Any company involved in the manufacture 6 Close
distribution or retailing of plastic bags
Any company involved in waste collection 7
or disposal
Any company involved in the recycling of 8
waste products
Environmental lobby groups, e.g. Greenpeace 9
Friends of the Earth, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
None of the above 10 Q3
Q3. What is the occupation of the main wage AB 1 Close

earner in your household? ----------------------------------------
WRITE IN BELOW AND CODE OPPOSITE B
C1 2
C2 3 Q4
D 4
E 5 Close
y:jn2094\2094q
JN2094 2 January 2005
Q4. And which of the following age bands Under 18 1 Close

do you come into? ----------------------------------------
READ OUT /SHOW CARD B 18-21 2
22-24 3
25-29 4
30-34 5
35-39 6 Check
40-44 7 quota
45-49 8 then
50-54 9 Q5a
55-60 10
61-64 11
65-70 12
----------------------------------------
Over 70 13 Close
Q5a. Which of the following types of shopping do you do regularly?

READ OUT/SHOW CARD C
Q5b. And which do you do occasionally?

STILL CARD C
Regularly Occasionally
(a) (b)
Supermarkets or groceries 1 1
Clothes shops 2 2
High street shops other than for 3 3 See
clothing or groceries *
DIY stores 4 4
* AIM FOR A SPREAD OF RESPONDENTS CODING 1-4 AT (a) AND (b)

FOR RESPONDENTS CODING 1 AT (a) OR (b), ASK Q6a.
IF 1 NOT CODED AT (a) OR (b), GO TO Q7.
CHECK QUOTA
Q6: Ask only if 1 coded at Q5(a) or Q5(b)
Q6a. Which of the following supermarkets do you use regularly?

SHOW CARD D
Q6b. And which do you use occasionally?

STILL CARD D
Regularly Occasionally
(a) (b)
Aldi 1 1
ASDA 2 2
Budgen 3 3
Co-op 4 4
Iceland 5 5
Kwiksave 6 6
M&S 7 7 See
*
Morrisons 8 8
Safeway 9 9
Sainsbury 10 10
Somerfields 11 11
Tesco 12 12
Waitrose 13 13
Wm. Low 14 14
* AIM FOR A SPREAD OF SUPERMARKETS USED REGULARLY AND

OCCASIONALLY
CHECK QUOTA THEN Q7.
Q7. Which of the following statements best applies to you?

READ OUT / SHOW CARD E
I do most of my shopping on-line and 1
rarely go to shops
I do a lot of my shopping on-line but 2
occasionally go to shops
I do some shopping on-line but I also 3 See *
like going to shops
I do very little shopping on-line and 4
prefer to buy most things from shops
I do not do any shopping on-line 5
* NO MORE THAN TWO RESPONDENTS IN EACH GROUP SHOULD CODE 1.

CHECK QUOTA THEN Q8.
Q8. Are you an active member of any environmental lobby group such as Greenpeace or Friends
of the Earth?
Yes 1 Close
----------------------------------------
No 2 Q9
Q9. Finally, have you taken part in any market Yes 1 Close
research group discussion in the last ----------------------------------------
6 months? No 2 Recruit
If respondent fits quota, send him/her an invitation card confirming date, time and location of the
interview. Make sure that respondent’s name, address and telephone number, and the date and time of
the interview is clearly recorded on the front of the questionnaire so that you can telephone him/her with a
reminder to attend.
I hereby declare this questionnaire has been completed according to the instructions and the Market
Research Society’s Code of Conduct, and that the respondent was unknown to me at the time of recruitment.
RECRUITER’S NAME:
SIGNED: DATE:
Topic Guide
1. Warm up
• Explain about purpose of discussion, tape recording etc.
• Invite respondents to introduce themselves in terms of occupation, interests,
circumstances, children in household, car ownership, etc.
• General approach to shopping – what kind of shopping do they do more / less
often?
• Supermarket, high street, clothes, DIY, etc.? When? Where? How?
• Spontaneous concerns about issues relating to shopping? Probe for any
spontaneous reference to environmental concerns
2. Behaviour with regard to carrier bags

• What types of bags used regularly / occasionally? How does this vary according
to type of shopping?
• What types of bags do they use mainly? What other bags do they use?
• What are their likes and dislikes of different types of bags?
3. Attitudes to single use bags

• What do they think of single use plastic bags? What are their good and bad
points?
• What encourages use of single use bags?
• What puts people off using/limits use of single use bags?
• What spontaneous concerns are there about single use carrier bags?
• What do these relate to? How widespread / intense are these concerns?
• What is the extent of awareness of environmental impact of single use bags?
• What happens to their single use bags after initial use (recycle, re-use, other use,
disposal)?
• What factors prompt recycling of single use bags? (or not?)
• Where do they keep their single use bags
• What encourages / discourages them from re-using single use bags?
• How many single use bags do they think they use a week/year?
• What ideas do they have for reducing number of single use bags used?
• How interested are they in reducing use of single use bags? Why/why not?
• Awareness of single use bags’ adverse affects on environment?
• Reactions to information about single use bags adverse effect on the
environment
4. General Attitudes towards B4L

• What do they know about B4L? How have they come across them / found out
about them? What have they heard about them?
• What do they understand about the replacement of a B4L when it is worn out?
(i.e. that it is free except at M&S)
• What is their experience of using them
Users:
• What has prompted them to use them? Triggers for use?
• What was good about them? What encourages use more often/ more regularly?
• What was not so good?
• How often are they used? What kind of shopping are they used for? What about
other types of shopping? What limits usage of B4L? How does this work?
• Where do they keep their B4L (home, car boot, handbag, etc)
• When and how often do they use their B4L (every shop, most shops, monthly
shop, weekly shop, top-up shop, impulse buying)
1
• What stops them from using their B4L (forgot – left at home / in car boot, too big
to put in handbag/briefcase, don’t like using Tesco’s bags in Sainsbury’s etc)?
And how do they remember to take it with them?
• What are their B4L preferences (plastic, textile-based, hemp, etc)?
• Would they like to see different sizes for B4L (e.g. handbag size, traditional size,
shopping trolley/car boot size, etc)
• Are they aware of different functions for B4L and would they use them (e.g. wine
B4L, insulated B4L)
• Do people use freezer bags (i.e. insulated cool bags)? If so – do they remember
to take them shopping? what prompts them to remember/use, etc
Non-users/Infrequent users/lapsed users

• What puts them off using B4L?
• What are the reasons for not using them at all / more often? How do they feel
about not using B4L? Would they like to use them more or do they just not care?
• What would encourage them to use B4L at all / more often?
• Lapsed users – why did they lapse
• How do they feel about using B4L in different scenarios, e.g. supermarket? high
street? Clothes? DIY? Does willingness to use B4L vary according to different
scenarios?
• Is B4L more acceptable for some sorts of shopping than others? How does this
work?
5. Perception of B4L activity by different supermarkets/outlets

• Which shops putting more/less effort into B4L or reducing the use of single use
carrier bags? What sorts of things are they doing?
• Are they encouraging shoppers to use B4L? How?
• What are the main barriers to using B4L?
* product related barriers
* other barriers (cost, habit, cultural acceptance, remembering to take them)
* also consider different types of stores, shopping scenarios
• How could these be overcome?
6. Ways of encouraging take up and use of B4L

• What could be done to encourage them / people to use B4L? Use B4L more
often?
• What needs to be done?
• Raising awareness of benefits/ changing mindset
• More financial reward (e.g. money off shopping. How much would be motivating)
• Financial penalty – e.g. retailers charging for single use bags that are currently
free (e.g. 5p per bag)
• Other incentives – can they suggest what they could be
* e.g. donations to charity
* loyalty points
• Increased awareness at POS
• Increased prominence and availability of B4L
• Changing habits
• Changes to form and design to improve aesthetics/functionality?
2
7. Reactions to a selection of B4L products
• Size & shape
• Look / appearance / street “appeal”
• Material used
• Perceived durability/ruggedness
• Functionality / ease of use, etc.
• Probe reactions to examples of bags from:
* grocery multiples – e.g. M&S, Sainsbury, Tesco, Superquinn, Carrefour, etc
* “Designer stores” – e.g. Prada, Liberty, Harrods, Fortnum and Mason
* Overseas – e.g. Monoprix handbag pouch
* Fashion outlets – e.g., FCUK, Accessorize
• Appeal of different types of shapes and formats – e.g.
* wheeled trolley
* rucksack
* standard sized carrier bag
* drawstring bag
* handbag pouch
* string bag
• Preferences for aesthetics/material/size (e.g. plain colour, “Save the planet” type
campaigning slogan, fashion icon image, e.g. FCUK, accessorize examples,
attractive prints, e.g. floral/natural/stripes, etc.)
• Views on retailer branding on bags – would this prevent wider usage
• Views on using bags to communicate a message – e.g. “save the planet” /
“recycle” / “it’s fantastic to use less plastic” type message
8. Reactions to ideas/propositions for stimulating use of B4L

• Appeal of design competition – e.g.,
* shoppers or their children submit designs to win personal prize and winning
design is produced
* supermarket in house design team (e.g. George/Cherokee) design bags and
customers vote on winner
* leading fashion designers design bags – Stella McCartney/Katherine
Hamnett/Burberry etc. (Which other designers would be liked)
9. Self-Completion Questionnaire
3
114701 BAGS FOR LIFE SECTION
Thinking now about "bags for life" by which I mean the strong carrier bags that you buy from supermarkets and
other retailers to use every time you shop and which are replaced free of charge when they wear out.
Q1 Which of these describes your experience of "bags for life"? READ OUT, ROTATE ORDER, TICK
START. SINGLE CODE ONLY.
I have heard of them but never bought one 1

I have bought one or more of these bags 2
I have never heard of them 3
(DON'T KNOW). 4
ASK Q2 IF BOUGHT ONE OR MORE OF BAGS FOR LIFE (CODE 2 AT Q1) OTHERS TO NEXT
SECTION
Q2 How often do you use one of these "bags for life" when you go shopping? READ OUT, FLIP
SCALE, TICK START. SINGLE CODE ONLY.
Just about every time I go shopping 1

Quite often 2
Sometimes 3
Very occasionally 4
Never or hardly ever nowadays 5
(DON'T KNOW). 6
Q3 What type of bag do you usually use when you shop in . . . . . . . . . . . . .? READ OUT, ROTATE
ORDER OF EACH TYPE OF SHOP AND BAG, TICK START. SINGLE CODE ONLY.
Supermarkets Clothes shops High street shops other than DIY stores
or grocers for clothing or groceries
The free carrier bags provided in the shop at 1 1 1 1
the time
"Bags for life" previously bought from a 2 2 2 2
retailer
Old carrier bags which I am re-using but 3 3 3 3
which are not "bags for life"
My own bag, basket, rucksack or trolley 4 4 4 4
Other (specify) 99 99 99 99
(DON'T KNOW). 100 100 100 100
y/:jn2094/2094rep Andrew Irving Associates

Stage 2 : Quantitative Benchmark Survey

Stage 2 : Quantitative Benchmark Survey
Introduction i
Sample Profile ii
Summary & Conclusions iv
Attitude to Recycling 1
Frequency of Supermarket Shopping 3
Supermarkets Shop 4
Driving to the Supermarket 6
Making Use of Free Vest Bags 7
Vest Bags: Dislikes 9
Number of Vest Bags Use Each Week 11
Reusing Vest Bags 13
Other Uses for Vest Bags 14
How Dispose of Excess Vest Bags 15
Use of Alternatives to Vest Bags 16
B4L: Awareness & Purchasing 18
Reasons for Purchasing a B4L 20
Other Uses for a B4L 21
Number of B4Ls in Home 22
Use of B4Ls For Grocery Shopping 22
Remembering / Forgetting B4L 23
Replacing B4Ls 24
Recognise the Term ‘Bag for Life’ 25
Interest in a ‘Bag for Life’ 27
Reasons for Resisting B4Ls : Verbatims 32
Reasons for Buying a B4L 33
Ideas for Promoting B4Ls 36
B4L: Alternative Designs 38
Attitudes to Vest Bags 41
Appendix: Questionnaire 43

Quantitative Benchmark Survey
Following the qualitative stage we set up a large-scale quantitative study to explore
the extent to which the views expressed in the qualitative research are represented
across the country. This component is intended to both act as a stand-alone study
showing current behaviour and attitudes towards bags and recycling, but it can also
act as a benchmark against which future studies will be able to demonstrate the
extent to which attitudes and behaviour change over time.
The content of the questionnaire was partly based on the findings that emerged from
the initial qualitative stage. This proved to be particularly valuable in helping us to
produce appropriate and comprehensive attitudinal statements.
In total we conducted 1048 street interviews across GB, dividing the interviews
across the regions according to their relative populations (accepting that we needed
to book a number of whole interviewer-days in each). Fieldwork took place between
2nd-10th March 2005, a period marked by blizzard conditions and heavy snowfalls
across many parts of the country. Around a third of our interviewers complained
about the length of the questionnaire; if the survey is repeated we need to reduce the
number of questions.
Quotas were set to represent the adult GB population by gender, age and SEG (we
allowed interviewers some flexibility to reflect the profile of their allocated sampling
point). We only excluded those few who rarely or never shop in supermarkets.
Completed questionnaires were returned to the office for checking and coding, we
also conducted a minimum of 10% telephone check-backs on the work of each
interviewer. On this project the work of all interviewers proved to be satisfactory.
Data processing was conducted by a specialist bureau to our specifications.
y/:jn2094/2094rep i Andrew Irving Associates

Sample Profile
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Male
Female
18-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Married / co-hab
Single / wid / div
Children <18 in h/h
AB
C1
C2
D
E
Scotland
North
Wales & W / Mids /East
London & South
We divided our interviews across all GB standard regions according to the

population in each. We excluded those few who do not shop in supermarkets. We
set each interviewer a quota of 50% male / 50% female, and we set minimum quotas
on age and SEG allowing them some flexibility to reflect the profile of their allocated
sampling point. Interviewers have recruited a good spread of the different age
groups, while they have tended to slightly under-represent SEG group AB, and
slightly over-represent SEG groups C1 and E. The length of the interview coupled
with appalling weather meant that a number of the interviewers went slightly ‘out of
quota’ in an attempt to reach their target number of interviews.
y/:jn2094/2094rep ii Andrew Irving Associates
Sample Profile
Base: all (1048)
%
Male 48
Female 52
18-24 10
25-34 17
35-44 21
45-54 18
55-64 16
65+ 18
Married / co-hab 58
Single / wid / div 41
Children <18 in h/h 34

Child aged under 2 7
Child aged 2-4 8
Child aged 5-11 17
Child aged 12-17 13
AB 13
C1 31
C2 23
D 16
E 17
Scotland 9
Border 2
North East 5
North West 9
Yorkshire 11
Wales & West 9
Midlands 16
East 7
London 17
South & South East 10
South West 4
The above data formed the basis of the chart on the previous page.
y/:jn2094/2094rep iii Andrew Irving Associates
Summary & Conclusions
One in three like to think they recycle everything that can be recycled, 14% admit
that they do not recycle at all (higher among <35s and DEs).
Four-fifths put ‘practically everything’ into vest bags on their main supermarket
shopping trip.
The environmental impact of vest bags is not salient; people are far more likely to
talk about functional problems (bags splitting etc) than ecological concerns.
Three-fifths admit that they ‘do not even think about recycling’ while at the
supermarket checkout.
People typically guess that they use 10, a dozen or half a dozen vest bags a week,
two-fifths admit to using a dozen or more. The average (mean) of these guesses is
just over 8 bags per week (across GB this would equate to 10 billion per annum).
However three-fifths tell us they reuse all of their vest bags, very few discard all vest
bags (10% of <35s and DEs).
Most vest bags are being used to collect other rubbish, most commonly as kitchen
bin liners. Few people reuse vest bags for supermarket shopping.
Half pick up more vest bags than they have a use for. Most excess bags go into
general household rubbish. Just 8% take vest bags to a recycling point.
Two-fifths have bought a reusable plastic bag at the supermarket checkout, but we
suspect that we are under-representing household penetration of B4Ls (some will
not realise their partner has bought). Penetration is higher among 45-64s, lower
among ABs, and among those who rarely or never recycle (generally).
While half of women and 30% of men have paid for a carrier bag at the checkout,
most simply wanted a stronger bag for their shopping on that occasion.
y/:jn2094/2094rep iv Andrew Irving Associates

Two-thirds of purchasers though tell us their main subsequent use of these bags is
for shopping (supermarket + other stores), however only a third of purchasers
regularly reuse their bag for grocery shopping.
13% of all supermarket shoppers claim to use a B4L most times they shop.
The main problem is simply that you forget to take the bag with you, unless you keep
it handy in your pocket / handbag or in the car.
Only a third of purchasers realise the bag would be replaced free, and only a third of
these have asked a supermarket to replace a bag (=12% of purchasers, 5% of all
supermarket customers).
Three-fifths of supermarket shoppers (70% of women) recognise the term ‘Bags for
Life’.
Only one in three are interested in purchasing a B4L in the future. There is more
motivation from being able to acquire stronger bags (particularly DEs) than for
reducing the waste from vest bags (although ABs are more receptive). Clearly both
aspects need to be stressed; this is a product that benefits both the consumer and
the environment.
There is widespread agreement that supermarkets should do more to encourage

customers to return waste for recycling, but only two-fifths support the idea that
supermarkets should charge for vest bags.
While it may be unpopular, charging for vest bags would certainly encourage people
to purchase B4Ls instead. Only one in five think they could be persuaded to buy a
B4L by being told about the environmental damage caused by vest bags. Certainly
those who do not recycle are very unlikely to want to hear any ecological arguments.
From the three examples we showed, there is most enthusiasm for the (Irish) Green
Bag, which half of women and a third of men say they would use on their main
supermarket shop.
y/:jn2094/2094rep v Andrew Irving Associates

Attitude to Recycling
(asked at end of interview)
Q20 SHOWCARD I Finally, I would now like you to think about the recycling of your household
waste. Which one of these statements best describes you?
Base: all (1048)

%
I recycle everything that can be recycled 33
I recycle a lot but not everything that can be recycled 30
I recycle sometimes 23
I do not recycle 14
We asked this standard WRAP question about recycling at the end of the survey; we
did not want to focus our respondents on this issue before we had asked about
plastic bags in detail.
In reality there can be very few households who actually recycle everything that can
be recycled, although one in three like to think that they do, this proportion increasing
with age (from just one in four of the under-35s through to 45% of the 65+).
At this point in the interview respondents would now be aware of the purpose of our
survey, since preceding questions referred to the ecological impact of the waste from
plastic bags. In spite of this 145 (14%) are prepared to admit that they do not recycle
at all, and the proportion is much higher among the under-35s (23%, compared with
13% of 35-44s, through to just 6% of the 65+.) Only 9% of ABC1s tell us they do not
recycle, compared with 14% of C2s and 20% of DEs.
In our full tabulations we show all questions cross-analysed by those who claim to
recycle everything / a lot (the first two codes), by those who recycle only sometimes,
and by those who never recycle. Overleaf we show demographic differences in
attitudes towards recycling.
Attitude to Recycling
Recycle a lot / all Some / None
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Male 62% 38%

Female 64% 36%
18-34 52% 48%

35-44 63% 37%
45-54 64% 36%
55-64 69% 31%
65+ 74% 26%
Children in h/h 62% 38%
AB 75% 25%
C1 68% 32%
C2 63% 37%
DE 54% 46%
Scotland (n=95) 41% 59%

North 64% 36%
W&W / Mids / E 61% 39%
London & South 71% 29%
Vest Bags 10+ / wk 61% 39%

Use under 10 / week 66% 34%
Main Shop Tesco 64% 36%

ASDA 64% 36%
Sainsbury's 69% 31%
Morrison's / S'way 62% 38%
Above we combine the ‘top two’ and ‘bottom two’ statements from the question on
recycling, and contrast the opinions among different demographic groups. This
highlights the age and SEG differences discussed on the previous page, and also
shows that the majority of our 95 respondents in Glasgow and Edinburgh admit that
they rarely (25 of them) or never (33) recycle.
y/:jn2094/2094rep 2 Andrew Irving Associates
Frequency of Supermarket Shopping
QA About how frequently do you personally shop in supermarkets nowadays?
Q1 How frequently do you or your household go to the supermarket for your main grocery
shop, as opposed to buying just a few grocery items?
Main h/h
Personally Grocery Shop
Base: all (1048) (1048)
% %
4 times a week or more 14 3
2-3 times a week 41 13
Once a week 35 65
Once every 2-3 weeks 6 10
Once a month 3 5
Less often * 2
Don’t do a main shop 1
We excluded those who never shop in supermarkets. Over 90% of our respondents
are in the supermarket at least once a week, indeed most are shopping in
supermarkets at least twice a week.
Two-thirds of households are still in the habit of doing one main shopping trip each
week, while the proportion who do their main grocery shop more frequently is
roughly the same as the proportion who shop less frequently than this.
Supermarkets Shop
Q2a Which supermarket do you use for your main shop?
Q2b And which supermarket or shop do you use when you go for just a few grocery items?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Tesco
ASDA
Safeway / Morrison’s
Sainsbury’s
Somerfield
Co-op
KwikSave
Iceland
Aldi / Lidl / Netto
Waitrose
Marks & Spencer’s Main

Top-Up
Budgens
Small corner shop
Other (write in)
No main / top-up shop
We have slightly under-represented AB households, over-represented C1s and DEs.

The most frequently used supermarkets among our respondents are Tesco and
ASDA, with similar numbers using Morrison's / Safeway and Sainsbury for their main
shop. A third of our AB respondents but only one in ten of our C2DEs do their main
shop in Sainsbury – we will therefore be slightly under-representing JS customers in
our sample. Within our full tabulations we show all questions cross-analysed by the
main shoppers for each of the top 4 supermarket groups separately. We also split
out the 25 people who mainly shop in three discounters; Aldi, Netto or Lidl.
Co-op and corner shops are also used for top-up shopping, although many simply
return to their main supermarket.

Supermarkets Shop
Main Top-Up Either

Base: all (1048) (1048) (1048)
% % %
Tesco 35 20 46
ASDA 34 17 42
Safeway / Morrison’s 15 13 23
Sainsbury’s 14 10 21
Somerfield 5 10 14
Co-op 4 20 21
KwikSave 4 6 8
Iceland 2 6 9
Marks & Spencer’s 1 6 7
Budgens * 1 1
Waitrose 2 4 5
Aldi / Lidl / Netto 2 5 6
Small corner shop 17 17
Other (write in) * 2 2
No main / top-up shop 1 2 0

Driving to the Supermarket
Q3a Do you usually drive to the supermarket for your main grocery shop? PROMPT
Q3b And do you usually drive when you go for just a few grocery items?
Usually Drive…
For ‘Main’ Top-Up
Shop Shop
Base: all (1048) (1048)
% %
Usually drive 64 43
Do not 35 55
No main / 1 2
top-up shop
Two-thirds drive to the supermarket for their main weekly shop – the proportion is
lowest among the under-35s (55%) and the 65+ (59%), among DEs (43%), and
among our Scots (47%).
Only 43% drive to purchase their top-up shopping – a third of those who drive for
their main shopping therefore use other means for their top-up shop (we met only 11
people who drive for top-up shopping but not for their main shop).
Making Use of Free Vest Bags
100% 1% 1%
8% Don’t do main
90%
11% shop / top-up
80% Rarely or never

use vest bags
70%
Only some items

into vest bags
60%
50%
About half into

40%
79% 77% vest bags
30%
Mainly use vest
bags, also use
20%
other
10%
Put practically
everything into
0%
vest bags
Main Top-Up
Grocery Shop
Shop
Note that the question asked about ‘free plastic carrier bags’ – we refer to ‘vest bags’
frequently in our reporting, but this term does not appear in our questionnaire.
Vest bags are ubiquitous; those who put practically everything into vest bags on their
main shopping trip outnumber those who rarely or never use vest bags by 10:1. 18%
of the 55+ (but only 7% of the under-55s) rarely use vest bags or only put some
items into vest bags on their main shop (the green portion on our chart).
Even for top-up shopping, over three-quarters are putting practically everything into
vest bags, while 15% (but almost a quarter of the 55+) rarely use vest bags for their
top-up shopping or only put some items into vest bags .

Making Use of Free Vest Bags
Q4a Most supermarkets provide free plastic carrier bags at the checkout. When you go to
the supermarket for your main grocery shop to what extent do you make use of the
free bags?
Q4b And when you go for just a few grocery items to what extent do you make use of the free
bags?
Main Top-Up
Base: all (1048) (1048)
% %
I put practically everything 79 77
into the free plastic carrier bags
I mainly use the free plastic carrier bags, 6 4

but also use other bags or boxes
I put about half of my shopping 3 1

I only put some items 3 3

I rarely or never use any 8 11

of the free plastic carrier bags
Don’t do a main shop / top-up 1 1

Vest Bags: Dislikes
Q5 Is there anything at all that you dislike about the free plastic carrier bags? PROBE What
else?
1st All
mention mentions
Base: all (1048) (1048)
% %
Anything disliked 55 55
Flimsy / tear / split 33 36

Handles are thin / hurt the hand 5 7
Hard to open 3 4
Environmentally unfriendly / 5 7
non biodegradable
Such a waste / Get given so many 4 5
Cause litter 2 3
Too small 1 2
Other comments 2 2
Nothing disliked 44 44
DK / NA 1 1
Note that at this point on the survey we have only asked about grocery shopping and
their use of free plastic carrier bags, questions on recycling appear at the end of the
questionnaire. We decided to explore the salience of the recycling issue in relation to
vest bags by asking a very general unprompted question, getting people to tell us
what, if anything, they dislike about free plastic carrier bags.
While many have no complaints about vest bags, those who complain about
functional problems (they split, handles cut into your hand, difficult to open)
outnumber those who think to mention environmental concerns by a factor of 7:2
(42% first mention the functional problems itemised above, while just 12% talk about
the various environmental concerns).
Vest Bags: Dislikes : Verbatim Comments
Nothing disliked – they are free – you can’t complain
Handles are so thin you can’t put much in them as they cut into your hand
I’ve had tins roll down the high street because the bottom has fallen out of the bag
They rustle – I don’t like the noise they make
Sometimes they smell absolutely horrible- like car tyres
Risk of suffocation
Don’t like the transparent ones – they can see my beer
There’s nothing wrong if people dispose of them properly – they’re a menace when they
blow around the countryside
Not disposed of properly and a litter nuisance – dangerous to drivers as well when blowing
about
I know they’re not environmentally friendly – I do feel guilty
They don’t biodegrade fast – we should be charged for them
They’re plastic- not biodegradable – should have paper ones like America
They shouldn’t be allowed – paper bags should be used for environmental purposes
Too easy – stops you using other things and I don’t like that they are non biodegradable
People don’t recycle them
It’s a disgrace- they should be 50p each – there’s so many of them and they don’t degrade.
The shopkeepers always offer you them even if you don’t really want one
They are pushed on you – they just assume you want them and pack your shopping – we end
up putting them in our trolley, but they have wasted so many bags – they never ask you
Should charge for them – something like a landfill tax
Inconvenient without, but it seems to work in Ireland
I use bags for life, because it saves production
Above we show some verbatim comments taken from the questionnaires – we have
included a higher proportion of the comments that relate to ecological concerns.

Number of Vest Bags Use Each Week
0% 10% 20%
None
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13-14
15
16-19
20
21-29
30
More
Of course few people will know exactly how many vest bags their household uses
each week, which is why we often hear people guessing that they use 10, a dozen or
half a dozen. Around two-fifths admit to using a dozen or more each week, and at
the top-end we met two people who each told us they use 50/wk. In our full
tabulations we show all questions broken down separately by those who claim to use
under 10/wk, and those who use 10+/wk. Just 35 people do not use any vest bags
(=3%, 20 of them are 55+, 14 are DE).
The average of all of these very approximate estimates is just over 8 bags per week
(=430 bags per year). As there are approaching 25m GB households, this equates to
10 billion vest bags per annum through supermarkets.
Number of Vest Bags Use Each Week
Q6 In total, about how many of these free plastic carrier bags do you think you and your
household pick up from supermarkets and other grocery stores each week?
Base: all (1048)

%
None 3
1 2
2 4
3 6
4 8
5 9
6 13
7 4
8 8
9 1
10 17
11 *
12 8
13-14 *
15 4
16-19 1
20 5
21-29 1
30 1
More *
Don’t know 6

Reusing Vest Bags
Q7 And to what extent do you then reuse these bags for other purposes?
Base: all (1048)

%
Reuse all of them 59
Reuse most of them 16
Reuse about half 7
Reuse some 7
Discard them all 8
DK / NA 3
While a staggering number of ‘disposable’ bags are taken home from supermarkets
each week, the vast majority of these bags are being reused somehow.
Half of the under-35s, rising to 70% of those aged 65+, tell us they reuse all of their
vest bags, while just 10% of the under-35s and DEs (and 5% of the 65+) discard all
their bags. Those who collect the most bags (i.e. the ~40% with 10+/wk) not
surprisingly are less likely to have uses for all of their bags, although they are no
more likely to discard all of their bags.
Other Uses for Vest Bags
Q8 What do you mainly use them for? PROBE What else do you use them for?
Main Use All Uses

Base: all (1048) (1048)
% %
Use as a bin-liner in kitchen 41 53
Use as a bin-liner in other rooms 6 26
Put rubbish into it then throw it away 21 43
(but not using it to line a bin – includes use for nappies)
For dog / cat / pet mess 5 11

Garden refuse * 1
Reuse for supermarket shopping 6 8

Reuse for other shopping 3 10
To store things at home 2 14

For packed lunches 2 8
Carry other things in when going out 1 4
(e.g. swimming kit)
Put football / Wellington boots in * 1

Give to charity shops * 1
Keep bottles / cans in for recycling * 1
Other uses 1 2
Do not have a use / Discard (or DK at Q7) 11 11
Most vest bags are being used to collect other rubbish, most commonly as kitchen
bin liners. Most vest bags are therefore going into the general household rubbish
collection.
Just 87 people reuse vest bags for supermarket shopping (62 of whom tell us this is
their main use for these bags) – however we notice that these households are
almost as likely to be picking up 10+ vest bags per week from the supermarket as
the sample as a whole (i.e. 33% of them do so, as opposed to 37%).

How Dispose of Excess Vest Bags
Q9 What do you do with the free plastic carrier bags that you do not have a use for?
Base: all (1048)

%
This doesn’t happen – I always use them all 49
Just throw them away in the bin 36

with other household rubbish
Recycle: take them back to supermarket to be recycled 4

Recycle: take them to other recycling point 4
Give them to other shopkeepers to use 2
Give to someone else 1
Keep / put in cupboard 2

DK / NA 3
Most vest bags are reused, but the vast majority of these will still end up in with other
general household waste. However there is still the question of what happens to the
bags that are not reused – half of our respondents tell us they pick up more vest
bags than they have a use for, while just over one in five reuse no more than half of
the bags they receive (these subdividing fairly evenly between three groups; those
who reuse half, some or none).
Unfortunately most of the bags that people do not have a use for also go straight into
general household rubbish.
Just 87 of these households (8% of the total, or 16% of those who do not reuse all
their vest bags) recycle excess bags by either taking them back to the supermarket
(e.g. Tesco and JS customers) or other recycling points (only one person told us
they do both). Just 23 pass them on for other shops to reuse.

Use of Alternatives to Vest Bags
0% 10% 20%
Your own
shopping bag
Reusable
strong carrier
bag
Re-use (vest)
bag…
Cardboard
boxes from
store
Wine carriers
/ wine box
Main
Shopping Shop
bag on
wheels
Reg/Occ
Cooler bags / Top-Up

cooler box Shopping
Reg/Occ
Plastic
shopping box
Just 37% (but half of the 55+) tell us they at least sometimes use containers other
than vest bags on their main supermarket shopping trip. 45% at least sometimes use
containers other than vest bags for top-up shopping (57% of 55+). Within these
figures are some containers which are picked up in store (cardboard boxes which
some use occasionally, and wine carriers). 10% regularly use their own shopping
bag on their main supermarket shopping trip (a fifth of those aged 55+, but only 6%
of under-55s), while 4% regularly use a shopping bag on wheels (7% of 55+).
While we do pick up use of B4Ls at this question, we ask specifically about these
later in the questionnaire; of course the fact that some people are using them does
not mean that they are necessarily reusing them; some could be purchasing these
bags for single-use.

Use of Alternatives to Vest Bags
Q10a On this card we list a few alternatives to taking ordinary free plastic carrier bags. Which of
these do you regularly use when you go for your main supermarket grocery shop?
Q10b Which others do you occasionally use on your main supermarket grocery shop?
Q11a Which of these do you regularly use when you are shopping for a few grocery items?
Q11b Which others do you occasionally use when shopping for a few grocery items?
Use Main Shop Top-Up Shop

at all Use Reg/ Use Reg/
Reg Occ Reg Occ
Base: all (1048) (1048) (1048) (1048) (1048)
% % % % %
Reusable stronger carrier bags 17 13 16 8 11
(as sold at supermarket checkouts)
Your own shopping bag 19 10 15 14 17

(e.g. canvas bags, string bags etc)
Shopping bag on wheels 5 4 4 2 2
Re-use (vest) bags… 13 6 10 7 11
Cooler bags / cooler boxes 5 2 5 1 1
Plastic shopping boxes 1 1 1 * *
Wine carriers / wine boxes 6 3 6 * 1
Cardboard boxes from store 8 2 7 1 2
None of these / no others 51 63 55 68 63

B4L: Awareness & Purchasing
Q12 Some supermarkets sell stronger carrier bags at the check-out that can be reused,
typically they charge around 10 pence each.
Have you, or has anyone else in your household, ever bought any of these bags?
IF NO ASK: Have you ever seen these bags on sale?
Base: all (1048)

%
I have bought 40
I have not bought personally, 2

but others in my household have bought
We have not bought – I have seen on sale 43
We have not bought – I have not seen on sale 15
We later prompt with a more detailed description of Bags for Life, although the
version used at the above question should be sufficient to remind those who have
actually bought one of these bags.
The earlier omnibus survey showed around one in three adults had purchased a
B4L. On our survey among supermarket shoppers we present the concept in a
slightly different way, describing these as bags which are bought for 10p and which
can be reused (but we do not mention the fact that they can be replaced free until
later in the interview).
We find that two-fifths of supermarket shoppers have bought a reusable plastic bag
at the checkout =416 of our respondents (a further 21 tell us that another household
member has bought a reusable bag.). Within our figures will be some who visit
discounters which routinely charge for bags (indeed 18 of the 25 who are main
shoppers in Lidl / Aldi / Netto tell us they have bought a reusable carrier bag).
However we suspect that our figures (and those of the omnibus) may still under-
represent household penetration, since there will undoubtedly be those who do not
realise that their partner has bought a B4L.
Overleaf we show how penetration varies across different demographic groups.

Bought a Plastic Bag at Checkout
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Male 30%
Female 48%
18-34 35%
35-44 35%
45-54 49%
55-64 48%
65+ 36%
Children in h/h 39%
AB 28%
C1 39%
C2 41%
DE 44%
Scotland (n=95) 45%
North 41%
W&W / Mids / E 40%
London & South 37%

Bought a
B4L
Vest Bags 10+ / wk 35%
Use under 10 / week 42%
Recycle a lot / all (63%) 45%
Sometimes (23%) 32%
Do not (14%) 29%
Main Shop Tesco 40%
ASDA 37%
Sainsbury's 31%
Morrison's / S'way 44%
Half of the women we interviewed have paid for a carrier bag at the checkout.
Penetration is also higher among 45-64s, it is lower among ABs, and among those
who rarely or never recycle (generally).
Reasons for Purchasing a B4L
Q13a What were the main reasons why you decided to buy these bags?
PROBE What other reasons?
Main All
Reason Reasons
Base: purchased a B4L (437) (437)
% %
Wanted a stronger bag to use for my shopping 66 73
The bags are more attractive 6 8
The bags are cheap / inexpensive 1 8
They are bigger 1 4
Only ones available / doesn’t have free bags 4 5
Encouraged to buy it by check-out staff 1 3

Encouraged to buy it by seeing info in store * 1
Wanted a bag I could reuse for grocery shopping 8 24

Wanted a bag I could reuse for other things 3 13
Reusable bags are better for the environment 3 14

Do not like to use vest bags because of the waste 3 6
Give you a new one when it wears out * 2
Other reasons 3 5
DK / NA 1 1
While half of women and 30% of men have paid for a carrier bag at the checkout, most
simply wanted a stronger bag for their shopping on that occasion. Only one-in-four talked
about wanting a bag they could reuse in the supermarket (and even two-thirds of these
talked about some other reason for purchase before they mentioned reuse). In total 13%
of those who have bought a bag at checkout tell us their main reason was to be able to
reuse the bag in the supermarket (8%) or because of various environmental / ecological
concerns (5% – when we add in their other (i.e. non-main) reasons for purchase this rises
to 16% of purchasers, the proportion is higher among ABC1 purchasers than C2DEs).
Other Uses for a B4L
Q13b After you’ve bought these bags and used them once to take your shopping home,
what do you mainly use these bags for? PROBE What else do you use them for?
Main All Uses

Base: purchased a B4L (437) (437)
% %

Carrying things in when going out 2 7

Put rubbish into it then throw it away 4 6
(but not using it to line a bin)
Use as a bin-liner in other rooms * 2

For dog / cat / pet mess * 1
Other uses 1 6
Keep / put into cupboard 1 1
Do not have a use for them 11 11
Use for my Avon
Carry my hairdressing stuff in
Use for car booting
Store bills in
Store motor cycle parts in them
Keep paperwork dry in the car
Archaeological storage
While the main motivation for purchasing a B4L may be to obtain a stronger bag, most
purchasers tell us they do reuse these bags for supermarket shopping; relatively few
of these bags go straight into household rubbish. The bags are also used for other
(i.e. non-supermarket) shopping, and for storage. In total 65% tell us the main use is
for shopping, compared with 9% who mainly use these bags for rubbish.

Number of B4Ls in Home &
Use of B4Ls For Grocery Shopping
Q13c How many of these bags do you still have? CIRCLE NUMBER
Q13d How frequently do you re-use these bags for your grocery shopping?
Base: purchased (437)

B4L %
None 17
1 17
2 25
3 13
4 8
5 9
6 or more 9
Base: purchased a B4L (437)

%
Every time 16
Most of the time 16
Sometimes 26
Rarely 14
Never 28
Two-fifths have three or more of these bags, while one in six have bought a B4L in
the past but no longer have one.
Only one-third of those who have bought a bag at the checkout tell us they regularly
reuse their bag for grocery shopping, the proportion ranging from just one in five of
purchasers aged under-35 through to 45% of the 65+. In total we have 68 people
who use their B4L every time they shop for groceries (i.e. 7% of all supermarket
shoppers), a further 70 who use their B4L most of the time (13% of all supermarket
shoppers claim to use a B4L every time or most times they shop).
Remembering / Forgetting B4L
Q13e How do you make sure that you remember to take the bags with you?
Q13e Why do you not re-use these bags for grocery shopping more frequently? Any other
reasons? DO NOT PROMPT
Why do not reuse

Base: use their B4L sometimes / rarely / never (298)
%
Forget to take them with me 67
Use them for other things 22
Could not reuse as it broke 3
Do not buy much heavy shopping 2
Have to take too many with you 2
Can buy another at checkout when want to use one 2
Do not like to be seen with them / not fashionable 1
Use free ones 1
Use my own bags / boxes 1
Would not take one into a different supermarket *
(e.g. would not use a Tesco bag in ASDA etc)
How Remember
Base: use their B4L every time / most times (138)
%
Keep in handbag / pocket 28
Keep in trolley / car 28
Just do / it’s a habit 25
Keep in the same place (by the front door etc) 8
With my shopping list 4
Others 4
DK / NA 9
The main problem is simply that you forget to take the bag with you, unless you keep
it handy in your pocket / handbag or in the car.

Replacing B4Ls
Q13f Some stores replace bags free of charge when they wear out. Thinking of the bags that
you have bought, do you know for sure whether any of these would be replaced for
free?
Q13g Have you ever asked a supermarket to replace one of these bags without charge?
Base: purchased a B4L (437)

%
Don’t know 45
Would be replaced free 33
… have asked for a replacement 12
... have not asked for replacement 21
Would not be replaced free 22
When we initially described these bags we did not mention free replacement as part
of the concept. Of course bags purchased from discounters may not be replaced
free, but given the relatively small market share of these stores, it must be the case
that most purchasers have indeed bought a B4L. However most do not realise their
supermarket would replace a worn-out bag.
Only a third of purchasers realise the bag would be replaced free, and only a third of
these have actually asked a supermarket to replace a bag (this is 54 people, 12% of
purchasers, which equates to 5% of all supermarket customers – 30 of them are
aged 55+, 20 mainly shop Tesco, 12 ASDA, 10 JS).

Recognise the Term ‘Bag for Life’
Q14 SHOWCARD C On this card we show the description of a ‘Bag for Life’. READ OUT
Have you ever seen or heard the expression ‘Bag for Life’ in this context before?
‘Bag for Life’

A stronger carrier bag
Sold by supermarkets at a low price, typically around 10p
You can reuse your Bag for Life each time you shop in the store
When the bag wears out the supermarket may replace it without
charge
Base: all (1048)

%
Have seen / heard of a ‘Bag for Life’ 61
Have not 37
DK 2
We now showed (and read out) a full description of a B4L to all our respondents,
including the term ‘Bag for Life’ and including reference to free replacement.
Three-fifths of supermarket shoppers recognise the term ‘Bags for Life’ in this
context. Just over half of those who had not purchased recognised the term, while a
quarter of those who had purchased a bag at the checkout appear not to know that
these are called ‘Bags for Life’.
Recognise the Term ‘Bag for Life’
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Male 51%
Female 70%
18-34 61%
35-44 68%
45-54 65%
55-64 66%
65+ 46%
Children in h/h 67%
AB 60%
Aware C1 65%
of B4L C2 61%
DE 59%
Scotland (n=95) 59%
North 54%
W&W / Mids / E 62%
London & South 68%
Sometimes (23%) 53%
Do not (14%) 53%
Main Shop Tesco 69%
ASDA 59%
Sainsbury's 60%
70% of women recognise the term ‘Bags for Life’. The 65+ and those who rarely or
never recycle are less likely to recognise the expression.

Interest in a ‘Bag for Life’
Q15a SHOWCARD D How interested are you in using a ‘Bag for Life’ for your supermarket
shopping in the future?
Q15b Why do you say that? PROBE What other reasons?
Base: all (1048)

%
I will definitely use these bags 18
I will probably use these bags 15
I might use these bags 22
I will probably not use these bags 24
I will definitely not use these bags 20
We have now explained the concept of a Bag for Life, which most people were
already familiar with. But still only one in three are interested in purchasing a B4L
(definitely + probably), while a higher proportion say they will not buy. Overleaf we
examine the extent to which those from different demographic groups are receptive
to the concept.
Definitely + Probably Use ‘Bag for Life’
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Male 30%
Female 37%
18-34 30%
35-44 30%
45-54 32%
55-64 39%
65+ 40%
Children in h/h 31%

Def / Prob
Use a
AB 28%
B4L
C1 30%
C2 38%
DE 37%
Scotland (n=95) 41%
North 36%
W&W / Mids / E 33%
London & South 31%
Sometimes (23%) 23%
Do not (14%) 21%
Main Shop Tesco 33%
ASDA 33%
Sainsbury's 36%
There is most widespread interest among women, the 55+ and C2DEs. Those who
rarely or never recycle are less likely to be interested in a B4L. Three-fifths of those
who have bought in the past are interested in using a Bag for Life in the future.
‘Bag for Life’: Reasons for Interest
Base: all (1048)

%
Base: definitely / probably (353)
%
Stronger / less likely to tear / takes heavy bottles etc 36
Already / always use 19

Better for the environment (unspecific) 16
Saves waste 9
Use again for other shopping 8
It’s a bag for life / give you a new one 4

Only costs 10p 4
Would forget /don’t want to take with me 4
Less to have around 3
They are bigger 3
Has a stronger handle 3
Like to recycle 3
Feel I ought to / good idea 2
Less litter 2
Less landfill waste 2
Would if they starting charging for bags 1
Good to put things in / reuse 1
More attractive 1
Helps to reduce the use of natural resources 1
Other reasons 6
DK / NA 3
Would use at Lidl as they charge for each bag
Will cut down on usage – help save the rainforest
Only one in three are interested in a B4L, but there is more motivation from being
able to acquire stronger bags than for reducing the waste from vest bags.
‘Bag for Life’: Reasons ‘Might’ Buy
Base: all (1048)

%
Base: might (232)

%
Stronger / less likely to tear / takes heavy bottles etc 22
Will give it a try 11
Better for the environment (unspecific) 6

Saves waste 5
Not attractive / depends what the design is 3
Use my own bag 3
It’s a bag for life / give you a new one 2
Less to have around 2
Have to pay for them / prefer free ones 2
Use again for other shopping 2
Has a stronger handle 2
Already / always use 2
Feel I ought to / good idea 2
Would if they starting charging for bags 2
Don’t want lots at home 2
Use bags for other things 2
Helps to reduce the use of natural resources 1
Not a good shape / bulky 1
Other reasons 14
Those who pick the mid-point of our scale saying simply that they ‘might’ buy are in
reality unlikely to buy a B4L. On the plus side it’s a stronger bag, but some wonder
whether they would remember to take it with them.
‘Bag for Life’: Reasons Would Not Buy
Base: all (1048)

%
Base: definitely not / probably not (460)

%
Have to pay for them / prefer free ones 21
Easier / more convenient to use ordinary ones 14

Use bags for other things 11
Not attractive / not masculine etc / depends on design 4

Use a car / trolley etc 4
Use my own bag 4
Wouldn’t use (unspecific) 4
Don’t buy much at one time / no need 3
Don’t want lots at home 2
Not a good shape / bulky 1
Use a car / boxes etc 1
Other reasons 8
DK / NA 3
44% would not buy a B4L. We hear that it is easier and free to use ordinary vest
bags, and in any case you’d never remember to take a B4L with you when you go
shopping.

Reasons for Resisting B4Ls : Verbatims
I think I should be given free bags for groceries – they cost enough
They’ve got a cheek asking you to pay for something that advertises them
A good idea, but I would need quite a few and would I remember to take them with me
I think it’s a good idea, but free ones are always there and the assistant prepares them for you
I like to put different things in different bags – meat, veg and soap
Like my shopping to be packed and chatted to … if I have my own bag I have to pack
It’s easy to get them from the supermarket each week and there’s nowhere to store them at
home and they don’t last for life
(I am already) more eco friendly and practical – I reuse all free bags
They would be too heavy when they were full- we break the shopping up into small amounts
and would need a lot of them
Have to remember to take it with you and buy bin liners as well
Would have to take it round the shop with me
Could lose it or forget to take it- put it away – difficult enough to remember your Club Card
I’d never remember to take it with me, and its too big for lunchtime when I get 2 or 3 items
Go shopping after work and wouldn’t want to take the bag to work with me
I think ideally a material bag or basket type bag is better, not plastic at all. My mum and
granny use them for all their shopping
I’m a 28 year old lad and would feel embarrassed
Look girly
Look awful – it’s a pensioners thing – goes with the shopping trolley
Its gets worn and scruffy looking
They would accumulate germs
I can’t see how you can get something so strong that it can last a lifetime
I haven’t got much life left
Three-quarters of our respondents tell us they will not use a B4L, or that at best they
just ‘might’ use one. Above we have selected a number of the reasons they give for
resisting use of these bags, to illustrate the barriers that need to be overcome.

Reasons for Buying a B4L
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Stronger and unlikely to split
Better for the environment
Can be reused many times
Less plastic waste into landfill
Helps reduce litter…
Helps protect wildlife 3rd

2nd
Handles wider, more comfortable
Most persuasive
Reduce use of natural resources
More attractive than ordinary bags
We now prompted with a number of arguments for buying a B4L and asked which
are most persuasive (and which are irrelevant or untrue – see overleaf). See the
appended questionnaire for the full wording of each statement.
Above we have resequenced the statements with the most powerful arguments at
the top, the least relevant at the bottom.
Within our list of reasons we have included a mix of functional and ecological /
environmental arguments. 34% of DE supermarket shoppers through to only 13% of
ABs think that the most important reason to purchase is that the bags are stronger.
However 29% of ABs through to just 13% of DEs think that the most important
reason is that a B4L is better for the environment. Clearly both aspects need to be
stressed; this is a product that benefits both the consumer and the environment.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Stronger and unlikely to split
Better for the environment
Can be reused many times
Less plastic waste into landfill No interest

Not true
Helps reduce litter…
Helps protect wildlife
Handles wider, more comfortable
Reduce use of natural resources
More attractive than ordinary bags
43% find that at least one of these arguments is irrelevant to them, indeed in
response to a direct question one-in-five tell us that at least one statement is actually
untrue. However the one statement which is most likely to be deemed irrelevant
relates to the attractiveness of the bags.

Q16a SHOWCARD E On this card are a number of possible reasons for buying a ‘Bag for Life’.
Please read out the letter next to the one reason that would be most likely to
persuade you to buy and use one of these bags in the future.
And which is the second most important reason? And the third most important?
Q16b Which of these reasons are of no interest or relevance to you at all? Any others?
Q16c Looking again at all of these reasons, are there any that you think are untrue? Any
others?
No Not
Most persuasive
interest true
1st 1st+2nd All
Base: all (1048) (1048) (1048) (1048) (1048)
% % % % %
Select any of these 90 90 90 43 20
The bags are stronger and unlikely to split 27 38 47 4 2
It is better for the environment 19 33 46 3 1
The bags can be reused many times 11 30 42 5 1
Less plastic waste will go into landfill sites 8 21 34 4 2
Helps to reduce litter from ordinary bags 8 17 28 3 4
Handles are wider and more comfortable 6 14 22 10 3
Will help reduce use of natural resources 3 11 20 3 3
Helps to protect wildlife 7 10 17 5 5
More attractive than ordinary bags 1 3 6 29 5
The above data formed the basis of the charts on the preceding pages. Note that we
have abbreviated the statements for the table and charts; see appended
questionnaire for full versions.
Ideas for Promoting B4Ls
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
have to pay for vest bags
small donation to local charity
rewarded with a small discount
if told about environmental damage
vouchers for free Bags for Life

All
rewarded with loyalty points Most persuasive
if B4L looked more appealing
We now show various options for promoting B4Ls, to establish which would be most
likely to encourage their use (irrespective of whether or not the consumer actually
approves of the introduction of each measure). Again we have abbreviated the
statements for our charts, see the appended questionnaire for the full wording.
Certainly charging for vest bags would encourage the purchase of B4Ls. If
supermarkets started charging for vest bags they would doubtless need to give some
explanation, however it is surprising that only around one in five (all SEG groups)
think they could be persuaded by being told about the environmental damage
caused by vest bags. Certainly those who do not recycle are very unlikely to want to
hear any ecological arguments.
Ideas for Promoting B4Ls
Q17a SHOWCARD F
Which one of these would be most likely to encourage you to start using ‘Bags for Life’?
Q17b And which other ideas would encourage you to start using ‘Bags for Life’?
Most
persuasive
Most All
Base: all (1048) (104
% 8)
%
Select any of these 87 87
if I had to pay for normal carrier bags 33 48
if a small donation was made to a local charity 18 38

or school every time I used a Bag for Life
if I was rewarded for re-using Bags for Life 10 32

with a small discount off my shopping
if I was told more about environmental damage 9 22

caused by free bags
if I was given vouchers for free Bags for Life 8 23

(for a limited time)
if I was rewarded for re-using Bags for Life 5 20

with loyalty points (e.g. ClubCard / Nectar)
if Bags for Life looked more appealing 3 9
Statements are shown in full here, but were abbreviated for the chart.

B4L: Alternative Designs
A fabric bag with a rigid base A fabric bag that folds away into
Stronger plastic bags
Approx 30cm / 12" wide a small pouch
approx 43cm / 17" wide
Approx 23cm / 9" deep (shown on left)
Available in various designs
Available in a variety of colours Bag approx 38cm / 15" wide
and colours
Available in a variety of colours
100%
90%
80%
70%
definitely
not buy &
60%
use
probably
50% not buy &
use
40%
might buy
30% 21% & use
17%
20% 16% 16% 14%
probably 15%
buy & use
10% 21% 17%
13% 11% 12% 11%
0% definitely
buy & use
Green Current Folding Green Current Folding
Bag Bag
For Main Shop For Top-Up Shop
We showed three examples of reusable bags. There is slightly more interest in each
for a main grocery shop than for a top-up shop, and there is most widespread
enthusiasm for the (Irish) Green Bag, which 48% of women and 34% of men say
they would use on their main supermarket shop.
Definitely + Probably Buy
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Male 46%
Female 72%
18-34 60%
35-44 55%
45-54 63%
55-64 63%
65+ 57%
Children in h/h 63%
AB 57%
Def /
Prob C1 57%
buy C2 58%
ANY DE 63%
Scotland (n=95) 57%
North 65%
W&W / Mids / E 58%
London & South 56%
Sometimes (23%) 51%
Do not (14%) 41%
Main Shop Tesco 58%
ASDA 62%
Sainsbury's 56%
Here we have combined all the various parts of this question, to examine the extent
to which each demographic group would (definitely or probably) use at least one of
these examples of bags, either for their main grocery shop or for a top-up shop.
Overall 59% would use one of these bags, with more interest among women, least
interest among those who rarely or never recycle. All ages and SEGs express an
interest (and there is little variation by age and SEG in the response to each bag).
B4L: Alternative Designs
Q18a SHOWCARD G I would like to show you some designs for Bags for Life.
Please tell me how interested you are in each for your main grocery shop.
Firstly…
Q18b SHOWCARD G And how interested are you in each when you go for just a few grocery
items. Firstly…
For Main Grocery Shop

R S T
(current) (Green Bag) (folding)
Base: all (1048) (1048) (1048)
% % %
I would definitely buy and use 13 21 11
I would probably buy and use 16 21 16
I might buy and use these bags 19 21 21
I would probably not buy and use 15 12 17
I would definitely not buy and use 36 25 33
For Top-Up Grocery Shop

R S T
(current) (Green Bag) (folding)
Base: all (1048) (1048) (1048)
% % %
I would definitely buy and use 12 17 11
I would probably buy and use 14 17 15
I might buy and use these bags 16 18 18
I would probably not buy and use 15 15 15
I would definitely not buy and use 40 31 38
The above data formed the basis of the charts shown earlier.

Attitudes to Vest Bags
Agree strongly Agree slightly DK Disagree slightly Disagree strongly
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Supermarkets should do more to encourage

customers to return waste packaging to the store
for recycling
I try to use as few carrier bags as possible at the

supermarket check-out
I prefer to use extra free bags to make

absolutely sure my shopping is safe, than to use
fewer and risk damaging items
When I’m at the supermarket checkout I do not

think about waste or recycling when I’m using
their free carrier bags
Supermarkets should all charge a small amount

for their carrier bags, to encourage customers to
use fewer
Having established the use of vest bags and B4Ls and the salient issues, we now prompt
with various attitudinal statements, which we show in full on the above chart. This is the
penultimate question on the survey (before the question on recycling, data for which we
showed earlier.) The order of reading out the various statements was rotated.
Above we have resequenced the statements according to the extent to which supermarket
shoppers agree with each. By now respondents will have realised the purpose of our
survey, and some may start to give more socially desirable responses.
Of course people do not want to risk damaging supermarket purchases, and two-thirds
agree they will use extra bags at the check-out to protect items (71% of under 45s, 63% of
over-45s, 73% of C2DEs). It is not inconsistent to say that you also use as few bags as
possible at the checkout, which 70% claim to do (from 64% of under-35s through to 82% of
the 65+). However three-fifths admit that they do not even think about recycling while at
the supermarket checkout (two-thirds of under-35s and of DEs).
There is most widespread agreement that supermarkets should do more to encourage

customers to return waste for recycling (all ages and SEG groups), but there is least
support for the idea that supermarkets should charge for vest bags, which only two-fifths
support (half of ABs).

Attitudes to Vest Bags
Q19 SHOWCARD H Taking your response from this card, to what extent do you agree or
disagree that… READ OUT IN TURN
Agree Disagree
Base: all (1048) strongly slightly slightly strongly DK
Supermarkets should do more to 47% 36% 8% 4% 4%
encourage customers to return
waste packaging to the store for
recycling
I try to use as few carrier bags as 36% 33% 18% 11% 1%

possible at the supermarket check-
out
I prefer to use extra free bags to 34% 33% 15% 15% 3%

make absolutely sure my shopping is
safe, than to use fewer and risk
damaging items
When I’m at the supermarket 30% 31% 17% 20% 2%

checkout I do not think about waste
or recycling when I’m using their free
carrier bags
Supermarkets should all charge a 16% 26% 19% 35% 4%

small amount for their carrier bags,
to encourage customers to use fewer

Appendix
Questionnaire

Andrew Irving Associates Job No 503/1 (1-4)
Lloyds Bank Buildings
Shopping Survey Serial No. (5-8)
Muswell Hill Broadway Street Interviews
London N10 3RZ
Roy Graham 01225 862787 2 -10th March 2005
nd Card 1 (9)
R1
Name ......................................................... Address.....................…….....………........................
.....................…….....……….......................... .....................…….....………...................................
.............................................…………….... Post code

(10-16)
Phone no..........................…...…...….……….. Ex-Directory Refused No phone
If no phone number is given you must code the reason. Name, address & phone number
will not be stored on computer, these will not be used for any sales or direct marketing purpose.
Gender (17) Occupation of CWE

Male 1
Female 2 ...................................................
Age (18) SEG (22)
18-24 1 AB 1
25-34 2 C1 2
35-44 3 C2 3
45-54 4 D 4
55-64 5 E 5
65+ 6
Marital status (19) ITV Area (23)
Married / co-hab 1 Scotland X
Single / wid / div 2 Border 1
North East 2
Total number in household (20) North West 3
(adults & children, include respondent) Yorkshire 4
Just the respondent 1 Wales & West 5
Two 2 Midlands 6
Three 3 East 7
Four 4 London 8
Five 5 South & South East 9
Six or more 6 South West 0
Children <18 in household (21) Interviewer (in capitals)

No child <18 in h/h 0
Child aged under 2 1
Child aged 2-4 2 Date
Child aged 5-11 3
Child aged 12-17 4 March 2005
INTRODUCTION
SHOW ID CARD Good morning / afternoon. My name is ..... from AIA Market Research.
I am conducting a survey on supermarket shopping which will take around 10 minutes.
(adjust estimate if your interviews are taking longer or less time than this)
QA About how frequently do you personally shop in supermarkets nowadays?
(24)
4 times a week or more 1
2-3 times a week 2
Once a week 3
Once every 2-3 weeks 4
Once a month 5
less often THANK & CLOSE
RECRUIT ACCORDING TO QUOTA

Q1 How frequently do you or your household go to the supermarket for your main grocery shop,
as opposed to buying just a few grocery items?
(25)
4 times a week or more 1
2-3 times a week 2
Once a week 3
Once every 2-3 weeks 4
Once a month 5
Less often 6

CAN BE MORE THAN ONE AT EACH QUESTION Q2a Main Shop Q2b A few Items
(26) (28)
Tesco 1 1
Sainsbury’s 2 2
ASDA 3 3
Budgens 4 4
Co-op 5 5
Iceland 6 6
KwikSave 7 7
Marks & Spencer’s 8 8
Safeway / Morrison’s 9 9
Somerfield 0 0
Waitrose X X
(27) (29)
Aldi / Lidl / Netto 1 1
Other (write in) ………………………….. ……………………..

Use small corner shop for top-up 2
Q3a Do you usually drive to the supermarket for your main grocery shop? PROMPT
Q3b And do you usually drive when you go for just a few grocery items?
Q3a Main Shop Q3b A few Items

(30) (31)
Usually drive 1 1
Do not 2 2
SHOWCARD A
Q4a Most supermarkets provide free plastic carrier bags at the checkout. When you go to the
supermarket for your main grocery shop to what extent do you make use of the free bags?
Q4b And when you go for just a few grocery items to what extent do you make use of the free bags?
Q4a Main Shop Q4b A few Items
(32) (33)
I put practically everything into the free plastic carrier bags 1 1
(except for larger items which wouldn’t fit)
I mainly use the free plastic carrier bags, but also use other bags or boxes 2 2
I put about half of my shopping into the free plastic carrier bags 3 3
I only put some items into the free plastic carrier bags 4 4
I rarely or never use any of the free plastic carrier bags 5 5
Q5 Is there anything at all that you dislike about the free plastic carrier bags? PROBE What else?
1st mention……………………………………………………………………………………… (34)
other mentions………………………………………………………………………………… (35)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Q6 In total, about how many of these free plastic carrier bags do you think you and your
household pick up from supermarkets and other grocery stores each week?
WRITE IN Number …………………………………… (36)

Q7 And to what extent do you then reuse these bags for other purposes? PROMPT AS NECESSARY
(37)
Reuse all of them 1
Reuse most of them 2
ASK Q8
Reuse about half 3
Reuse some 4
Discard them all 0 SKIP TO Q9
Q8 What do you mainly use them for? PROBE What else do you use them for?
RECORD MAIN & OTHER Mainly Other
(38) (40)
Put rubbish into it then throw it away (but not using it to line a bin) 5 5
Other (write in and code) ……………………………………………… 9 9

Do not have a use for them / no other uses 0 0
(39) (41)
ASK ALL
Q9 What do you do with the free plastic carrier bags that you do not have a use for?
(42)
Just throw them away in the bin with other household rubbish 1
Recycle: take them back to supermarket to be recycled 2
Recycle: take them to other recycling point 3
Give them to other shopkeepers to use 4
Other (write in)…………….……………….…………………………………………

This doesn’t happen – I always use them all 0
ASK ALL
Q10a SHOWCARD B On this card we list a few alternatives to taking ordinary free plastic carrier bags.
Which of these do you regularly use when you go for your main supermarket grocery shop?
Q10b Which others do you occasionally use on your main supermarket grocery shop?
Q11a Which of these do you regularly use when you are shopping for a few grocery items,?
Q11b Which others do you occasionally use when shopping for a few grocery items?
Q10 Main Shop Q11 A few Items
a. Reg b. Occ a. Reg b. Occ
(43) (44) (45) (46)
Reusable stronger carrier bags (as sold at supermarket checkouts) 1 1 1 1
Your own shopping bag (e.g. canvas bags, string bags etc) 2 2 2 2
Shopping bag on wheels 3 3 3 3
Re-use ordinary free plastic carrier bags from previous shopping trips 4 4 4 4
Cooler bags / cooler boxes 5 5 5 5
Plastic shopping boxes (e.g. blue boxes) 6 6 6 6
Wine carriers / wine boxes 7 7 7 7
Cardboard boxes picked up in the store 8 8 8 8
None of these / no others 0 0 0 0

Q12 Some supermarkets sell stronger carrier bags at the check-out that can be reused,
typically they charge around 10 pence each.
Have you, or has anyone else in your household, ever bought any of these bags?
IF NO ASK: Have you ever seen these bags on sale?
(47)
I have bought 1
ASK Q13a
I have not bought personally, but others in my household have bought 2
We have not bought – but I have seen on sale 3

We have not bought –I have not seen on sale 4 SKIP TO Q14 z
ASK BAG PURCHASERS

Q13a What were the main reasons why you decided to buy these bags? PROBE What other reasons?
DO NOT PROMPT, RECORD MAIN & OTHER Main reason Other reasons
(48) (50)
Wanted a stronger bag to use for my shopping 1 1
The bags are more attractive 2 2
The bags are cheap / inexpensive 3 3
I was encouraged to buy it by check-out staff 4 4
I was encouraged to buy it by seeing information in store about the bag 5 5
Wanted a bag I could reuse for grocery shopping 6 6

Wanted a bag I could reuse for other things 7 7
Do not like to use disposable bags because of the waste 8 8

Reusable bags are better for the environment 9 9
…………………….…
Other (write in) …………………….………… …
(49) (51)
Q13b After you’ve bought these bags and used them once to take your shopping home,
what do you mainly use these bags for? PROBE What else do you use them for?
RECORD MAIN & OTHER Mainly Other
(52) (54)
Put rubbish into it then throw it away (but not using it to line a bin) 5 5
Other (write in and code) ……………………………………………… 9 9

Do not have a use for them / no other uses 0 0
(53) (55)

Q13c How many of these bags do you still have? CIRCLE NUMBER
0 1 2 3 4 5 More than five X (56)
Q13d How frequently do you re-use these bags for your grocery shopping?
(57)
Every time 1
Most of the time 2
ASK
APPROPRIATE
Sometimes 3 a
VERSION OF Q13e
Rarely 4 a
Never 0 a
a IF USE SOMETIMES / RARELY / NEVER a EVERY TIME / MOST TIMES

Q13e Why do you not re-use these bags for grocery Q13e How do you make sure that you
shopping more frequently? Any other reasons? remember to take the bags with
DO NOT PROMPT you?
(58)
Forget to take them with me 1
……………………….………………….
Can buy another at checkout when want to use one 2
Do not like to be seen with them / not fashionable / naff 3 …………….…………………………….
Would not take one into a different supermarket group
4
(e.g. would not use a Tesco bag in ASDA etc) ………………………….……………….
Use them for other things 5
Other (write in) ………………………….……………….
…………………….………………………………………
(59) (60)
Q13f Some stores replace bags free of charge when they wear out. Thinking of the bags that you
have bought, do you know for sure whether any of these would be replaced for free?
(61)
Yes – they would be replaced free 1 ASK Q13g
No – they would not be replaced free 2 SKIP TO
Don’t know 3 Q14
Q13g Have you ever asked a supermarket to replace one of these bags without charge?
(62)
Yes 1
No 2

z ASK ALL z
Q14 SHOWCARD C On this card we show the description of a ‘Bag for Life’. READ OUT
‘Bag for Life’
A stronger carrier bag
Sold by supermarkets at a low price, typically around 10p
You can reuse your Bag for Life each time you shop in the store
When the bag wears out the supermarket may replace it without charge
Have you ever seen or heard the expression ‘Bag for Life’ in this context before?
(63)
Have seen / heard the expression ‘Bags For Life’ 1
Have not 2
DK 0
Q15a SHOWCARD D How interested are you in using a ‘Bag for Life’ for your supermarket
shopping in the future?
(64)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………… (65)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………… (66)
Q16a SHOWCARD E On this card are a number of possible reasons for buying a ‘Bag for Life’.
Please read out the letter next to the one reason that would be most likely to persuade you
to buy and use one of these bags in the future.
And which is the second most important reason? And the third most important?
Q16b Which of these reasons are of no interest or relevance to you at all? Any others?
Q16c Looking again at all of these reasons, are there any that you think are untrue? Any others?
Q16a Q16b Q16c
1st 2nd 3rd No interest Untrue
(67) (68) (69) (70) (71)
The bags are stronger and unlikely to split A 1 1 1 1 1
It is better for the environment B 2 2 2 2 2
The bags can be reused many times C 3 3 3 3 3
This will help reduce the use of natural resources D 4 4 4 4 4
The handles are wider and more comfortable to carry E 5 5 5 5 5
Less plastic waste will go into landfill sites F 6 6 6 6 6
These are more attractive than ordinary supermarket bags G 7 7 7 7 7
This helps to reduce the litter from ordinary plastic bags H 8 8 8 8 8
This helps to protect wildlife J 9 9 9 9 9
None of these 0 0 0 0 0
SKIP 72-80 dup 1-8 card 2 (9)

Q17a SHOWCARD F
Which one of these would be most likely to encourage you to start using ‘Bags for Life’?
Q17b And which other ideas would encourage you to start using ‘Bags for Life’?
Q17a Q17b
Most Other
(10) (11)
if I had to pay for normal carrier bags K 1 1
if I was given vouchers for free Bags for Life (for a limited time) L 2 2
if I was rewarded for re-using Bags for Life with loyalty points (e.g. ClubCard / Nectar) M 3 3
if I was rewarded for re-using Bags for Life with a small discount off my shopping N 4 4
if a small donation was made to a local charity or school every time I used a Bag for Life O 5 5
if Bags for Life looked more appealing P 6 6
if I was told more about the environmental damage caused by free bags Q 7 7
None of these 0 0
Q18a SHOWCARD G I would like to show you some designs for Bags for Life.
Please tell me how interested you are in each for your main grocery shop. Firstly…
ASK FOR EACH IN SAME SEQUENCE AS THEY APPEAR ON THE CARD
Q18b SHOWCARD G And how interested are you in each when you go for just a few grocery items.
Firstly…
Q18a Main grocery shop Q18b A few grocery items
R S T R S T
(12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17)
I would definitely buy and use these bags 1 1 1 1 1 1
I would probably buy and use these bags 2 2 2 2 2 2
I might buy and use these bags 3 3 3 3 3 3
I would probably not buy and use these bags 4 4 4 4 4 4
I would definitely not buy and use these bags 5 5 5 5 5 5
Q19 SHOWCARD H Taking your response from this card, to what extent do you agree or disagree
that… READ OUT IN TURN
Agree Agree Disagree Disagree DK
strongly slightly slightly strongly
I prefer to use extra free bags to make absolutely sure my
shopping is safe, than to use fewer and risk damaging items 1 2 3 4 0 (18)
Supermarkets should all charge a small amount for their
carrier bags, to encourage customers to use fewer 1 2 3 4 0 (19)
When I’m at the supermarket checkout I do not think about

waste or recycling when I’m using their free carrier bags 1 2 3 4 0 (20)
Supermarkets should do more to encourage customers to

return waste packaging to the store for recycling 1 2 3 4 0 (21)
I try to use as few carrier bags as possible at the

1 2 3 4 0 (22)
supermarket check-out
Q20 SHOWCARD I Finally, I would now like you to think about the recycling of your household waste.
Which one of these statements best describes you?
(23)
I recycle everything that can be recycled 1
I recycle a lot but not everything that can be recycled 2
I recycle sometimes 3
I do not recycle 4
DK 5
COMPLETE CLASSIFICATION, OFFER THANK-YOU NOTE, CLOSE INTERVIEW

Carrier Bag Usage 2005

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Carrier Bag Usage 2005

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WASTE AND RESOURCES ACTION PROGRAMME

Carrier Bag Usage And Attitudes

• An omnibus survey to establish basic data on awareness and use of B4L

• A qualitative study to explore consumer attitudes and beliefs about carrier

• A quantitative benchmark survey to quantify the qualitative findings and

y:jn2094\2094pres Andrew Irving Associates

y:jn2094\2094pres Andrew Irving Associates

2. SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS vi

y:jn2094\2094pres Andrew Irving Associates

1.1 Background & Purpose

• As part of this programme of research, a qualitative target market study was

v. To investigate awareness of, attitudes towards, and propensity to use B4L:

• A qualitative methodology was adopted involving a series of 11 group discussions with a

Total London/S.E. East Anglia N.E. Scotland

• Groups were structured to reflect:

• No specific quotas were imposed on either usage/non-usage of B4L or supermarket

• In addition to the standard exclusions (market research, retail marketing, advertising, PR

• Discussions followed a topic guide (appendix 2) and lasted approximately 1½ hours.

High usage Low usage Urban Rural

• In terms of alternative B4L products:

• More generally, we believe that a co-ordinated marketing approach is required:

2.1 Omnibus Findings

3.1 Background Observations on the Sample

“I try and only take things to be recycled when I’m driving in

(BC1 women, 45-60, South East)

(BC1 women, 18-24, East Anglia)

(BC1 men, 18-44, North East)

• Respondents’ approach to shopping depended on whether it was routine/mundane (e.g.

• Many claimed to visit supermarkets 2-3 times a week:

• Few claimed to find food shopping a pleasurable experience.

• Other types of recreational shopping tended to be more indulgent and infrequent.

“It wouldn’t occur to take a plastic bag with you especially if

(C2DE women. 18-24, South East)

“There was a shop in Glasgow called What Every Woman

(BC1C2DE women, 60+, Scotland)

“When I run out of them I’ll go down to the supermarket and

(BC1 men, 45+, South East)

“I’ve got teenagers and we constantly have them in the bins

(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)

(C2DE men, 45+, Scotland)

“The flimsy ones, why they introduced them is so they would

(BC1 women, 45-60, London)

(BC1C2DE women, 60+, Scotland)

“If you go to America it’s all brown paper bags.”

(BC1C2DE women, 60+, Scotland)

(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)

“To tell you the truth, whether it be New Look or French

(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)

“No I wouldn’t because someone would think I was shoplifting.

(BC1 women, 45-60, London)

(BC1 women, 18-24, East Anglia)

• One respondent had tried unsuccessfully to replace a B4L.

“I tried to change one and depending on which store you’re in

(BC1 women, 45-60, London)

(C2DE men, 45+, Scotland)

¾ Purchasers and occasional users:

¾ Purchasers but not re-users:

“I’ve worked in shops before where old people have brought in

(C2DE women, 18-24, South East)

(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)

• Reasons for using included:

• Reasons for not using included:

(C2DE women, 25-44, North East)

(BC1 women, 45-60, London)