ADVANCING REUSE SYSTEMS
A key focus area in our approach to reinventing the retail bag is advancing the reuse of existing reusable bags that customers have at home or “borrowing” one as part of a reusable bag service. Since the Consortium’s launch in 2020, much has been done to accelerate this work––from on-the-ground reusable bag pilots to seminal reports that draw insights from these live pilots.
The Insights Report
Our 2021 Pilots unearthed key insights across the customer journey and behind the scenes — the reverse logistics and management — to determine what helps the long-term social, environmental and financial viability of reuse models.
The Playbook
Near-term single-use bag reduction strategies any retailer can implement – from small local stores to large national brands.
Reuse systems play a role in helping reduce the number of single-use bags that retailers use across their stores, which can make a tremendous difference. Even a 1% bag reduction has a significant impact on our global waste footprint – in the U.S., that is equivalent to 1 billion fewer bags used and discarded. Beyond driving progress toward sustainability goals, using fewer single-use bags can also help retailers reduce costs, address challenges in stocking bags, engage employees, support customers, and build brand reputation and loyalty.
Where Do We Gather Our Insights From?
Key insights in the insights report were gathered from collaborative reusable bag pilots that were conducted in select CVS Health, Target and Walmart stores throughout Northern California in 2021, as part of the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag’s Beyond the Bag Pilots. More broadly, the Consortium also crowdsources best practices from retailers within and beyond the Consortium and bolsters this with extensive research.