The days of bioplastic (or bio-sourced) bags seem to be numbered at Carrefour stores' fruit and vegetable stalls. Even though they are largely made up of plant matter and can theoretically be composted in people's homes, the main defect of these bags is that they are not recyclable.
Carrefour has therefore decided that starting this autumn, they will no longer be freely available. Instead, customers will be able to wrap up their fruit and vegetables sold loose in recyclable kraft paper bags, or in organic cotton reusable bags.
The kraft bags are made of 100% FSC-certified paper derived from sustainably managed forests and proved very popular among our customers in a number of test stores over the summer. They will gradually be introduced, starting this autumn. They will be available in the fruit and vegetable sections as bags with translucent windows (also made of paper), instead of the bioplastic bags currently in use.
Image: Carrefour
Reusable bags made of woven organic cotton will be introduced in the fruit and vegetable sections of the hypermarkets between now and the end of September to coincide with this year's European Sustainable Development week. They will be on sale at €0.99, or €2.80 for a pack of three. Cotton bags will subsequently be introduced at the Convenience and Market stores.
At the same time, all Carrefour stores will start selling larger shopping-bag versions of the kraft paper bags for €0.09. These bags will be available in addition to the current shopping bags.
Source: carrefour.com