The supermarket heading the corporate charge banning single-use plastic bags says it would entirely support a Government ban outlawing such bags across all industries.
Countdown's drive to go single-use plastic bag-free has so far involved 10 pilot stores with all 182 stores and 69 Fresh Choice and SuperValue stores primed to join them by the end of the year. Almost 1.5 million plastic bags have been kept out of the waste system since the 10 stores began using reusable bags through checkouts on May 21.
But at government level, the picture is less clear, with the approach to the plastics problem still undecided.
The problem is global and governments around the world are facing up to plastics pollution of major proportions. Some estimates say 500 billion bags are used each year globally; others (like the Earth Policy Institute), suggest the figure is a trillion. The vast majority finds its way into landfills or pollutes rivers, oceans and the landscape.
New Zealanders use 1.6bn single-use plastic bags a year, according to Greenpeace (with some estimates allocating 700m from supermarkets). Countdown say their customers have been using 350m of them a year – a thing of the past when the full ban comes into play across all Countdown stores.
Other countries have taken measures – the UK has a charge for use of plastic bags and is banning straws. France, Kenya and Morocco have banned them as have states in Australia and Canada, India, China and the US while Denmark and a few others also charge.
Countdown's General Manager Corporate Affairs, Kiri Hannifin, says the chain has always favoured a national ban on single use plastic bags – and is now casting its net wider to rid its business of plastics.
"We support a government ban, that's why we decided to go ahead with it ourselves - not just because 83 per cent of our customers wanted us to do this but because it is the right thing to do."
Countdown was the first to announce the ban – and has been followed by other companies including Z gas stations and Foodstuffs. Now Countdown is committing to remove 11.6 million single-use plastic straws from their stores by October 1.
Hannifin says Countdown has been greatly encouraged to do more by the public reaction in the 10 pilot stores, where 87 per cent of customers surveyed approved of there being no more single use plastic bags.
"It's gone further than that, too – it's become a community thing," she says. "The feedback we have been getting from staff and customers is that there is a lot more interaction going on at the checkouts. Our staff are proud of what they are doing and customers are joining in, telling our people things like how they are remembering their reusable bags and discussing the issue. There's a whole new level of engagement going on – not just 'have a nice day'."
Hannifin says the 11.6m plastic straws are those ranges sold for drinking – now being replaced by paper and bamboo straws. They are still "working with suppliers" on the future of plastic straws contained within packaging of drinks like juices, chocolate milk and the like.
That's a sign of the difficulty of undoing the vast plastics presence in many industries. "We have always said it is a much bigger task even than 350m single use plastic bags," says Hannifin. "Ideally, as a business, we would like to be rid of plastics where we can."
They took another step towards that by signing the NZ Plastic Packaging Declaration earlier this month, along with Foodstuffs, New Zealand Post, Frucor Suntory, multinationals Amcor, Danone, L'Oreal, Mars, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Nestle – phasing out plastic straws and moving towards 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging in own brands by at least 2025.
"Hopefully we will get there before 2025 – and there are other things we are already doing. If you go into our newly refurbished Greenlane store in Auckland, you'll see two new seats for customers there, both built with 21,000 recycled single use plastic bags.
"The Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme we belong to recycles plastic bags and other soft plastics through our in-store collection points – and things like bollards and speed bumps are built using them.
"Yes, it's only small but it is the sort of thing we as a country need to be looking at – new ways of recycling – and it's the right thing to do."
Countdown's 10 pilot stores: Dargaville, Aviemore Drive, Auckland; Roselands, Auckland; Northwest, Auckland; Grey Lynn, Auckland; Johnsonville Mall, Wellington; Victoria Ave, Whanganui; Redwoodtown, Blenheim ; Ferrymead, Christchurch; and Gisborne.