The plastic bag ‘loophole' that means billions are still used in UK
The plastic bag levy first came into force for large retailers in October 2015, and now applies to all retailers in Britain.
But there is a huge gap between the progress made in bricks-and-mortar retail and the approach taken by delivery services, according to research by Development Economics, commissioned by sustainable packaging business DS Smith.
While UK law means that in-store purchases incur the plastic bag levy, this does not apply to purchases made online.
As online shopping has grown in popularity, the number of plastic bags used to ship shopping has too - with online fashion retailers alone sending out almost a billion plastic bags to UK shoppers last year.
By 2030, 1,3 billion plastic delivery bags will be used every year, adding up to 6.9 billion bags over the next five years, the research found.
Across all types of retail e-commerce, the UK uses more plastic bags per year than any other country in Europe.
The plastic bags cannot be recycled in most UK regions.
Instead shoppers have to take them to dedicated recycling points.
As a result, recycling rates for the plastic bags used to ship fashion ecommerce items are as low as 9%.
Stefano Rossi of DS Smith said: "We think legislation can and should be more demanding of us all – phasing out certain plastics to help create a level playing field that encourages innovation, investment, and generates healthy competition to replace plastic."
Some high-profile businesses such as Zalando and Amazon have switched to plastic-free packaging, but many retailers are reluctant to do so due to higher costs or a lack of alternatives.
David Fischer, director of logistics, sustainability and packaging at Zalando said: 'After introducing our first paper bags, customer satisfaction with our new packaging surged by 16% year over year.
'Finding the perfect solution is a complex task, especially in a landscape where more sustainable alternatives are not yet fully scalable or may not meet the minimum requirements both in terms of sustainability and operational feasibility.'
At present, the rules look set to stay the same, although government initiatives aim to make it easier for households to recycle.
The government's Simpler Recycling scheme aims to encourage businesses (from 31 March 2025) to separate and recycle waste into glass, metal, plastic, paper and food waste, with food waste bins mandatory from 2026.
Simpler Recycling also aims to ensure there is no 'postcode lottery' around recycling so that different areas have the same rules around what is recycled.
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