Unforgettable Bag: Tesco's idea of fighting plastic pollution in Malaysia

NEW DELHI: British supermarket group Tesco has found an innovative way to reduce plastic pollution in Malaysia. It has launched bags with barcodes. Every time a customer reuses the bag, he gets discounts on his purchase from Tesco supermarket.

Called the "Unforgettable Bag, it has been launched in 11 Tesco stores in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur and the southern state of Johor a few days ago. The idea is to wean people away from plastic bags.




A report cited Paul Ritchie, CEO Tesco Malaysia, as saying that the company has halved the number of single-use plastic bags given out in stores between 2011 and 2017, but the rate of reduction is not fast enough. “We hope that we’re able to accelerate the reduction of plastic bag use in our operations. Our aim is to further halve the number of plastic bags this year through the Unforgettable Bag campaign,” he said.

The bag carries visuals of fish to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the sea. “Every time a bag is brought back, it’s one less in the ocean. With the Unforgettable Bag, we believe more people will get into the habit of reusing bags. While it seems like a small thing, but together we can all make a huge difference,” GREY Malaysia, an organisation partnering Tesco in this campaign, said in a statement.