The plastic bag levy on 1 August increased the quota for participating in the Trade’s environmental fund to NOK 2 per plastic bag the store sells, thereby also increasing the price of plastic bags to customers to around NOK 4. Most of the big chains are part of the scheme, including Coop, Norgesgruppen and Rema 1000 The goal is for every citizen to buy 40 plastic bags annually in 2025. While every citizen in Norway bought an average of 132 plastic bags annually last year, the average in recent months is that we buy 85 bags a year. A drop of 38 per cent in a short time – something which in the last three months alone corresponds to a decrease of 1,000 tonnes of virgin plastic that has neither been produced nor used. In pure numbers, this means over 52 million fewer carrier bags entering the market since August. If the development continues at the same pace, the consumption of plastic carrier bags will fall from 722 million to 471 million in one year. One of those who would rather reuse backpacks or plastic bags is Hilde Lund, whom we meet at the Storosenteret in Oslo. – It is practical, it is economical and it makes sense. We will not use so much plastic, says Lund to news. Cleans up Norway with the money That more and more people are making environmentally friendly choices is confirmed by Cecilie Lind in Handelens miljøfond. – The sale has dropped in the various chains and shops For every plastic bag you buy in the shop, NOK 2 now goes to the environmental fund. A fund that distributes millions each year to various environmental projects. Among other things through the fund’s own “Clean Norway” program and support for voluntary measures, including in the Oslofjord. – The effect of the quota on plastic bags is very measurable and concrete, says Lind. XXL is not part of Handelen’s environmental fund, they use income from the plastic bags for their own children’s fund, the XXL Children’s Foundation. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Several chains stand outside But there are still several large players in trade and business who are not members of the fund – and who thus do not make money from the plastic bags they sell. One of these is the sports chain XXL. Press contact Jan Christian Thommesen states that they chose a different path than many of the other chains when the environmental fund was started in 2017. – We are concerned with sustainability, but in this case we chose that money from the sale of plastic bags should go to our own fund which helps children in developing countries, says Thommesen. Cecilie Lind will not comment directly on those who are not members of Handelens miljøfond. In general, she says that both they and the governing authorities want the entire trade industry to join the fund. – The fact that the industry comes together for a common lift is very effective and means that the largest possible part of the money is used for environmental purposes and the least possible for administration, says Lind. Cecilie Lind in Handelens miljøfond encourages people to reuse when they go shopping, both on normal and on Black Fridays. Photo: Handelens miljøfond Uses a lot of money Tal also sees a large increase in the sale of shopping nets and waste bags on a roll, some say several hundred percent. Handelens miljøfond is the largest private fund of its kind in Norway and was started to meet new EU rules on plastic bag use. – Many people have caught the message that reuse is best for the environment, says Cecilie Lind. Since 2018, the fund has spent over NOK 1 billion on various environmental projects. This applies to both their own activities and the several hundred voluntary projects they support. – Use shopping nets She encourages people to use shopping nets or to use up old plastic bags now that the shopping season is fast approaching. – Put the net in your purse, rucksack and car at once, and you’ll save a bit on that too. At Storosenteret in Oslo, Hilde Lund packs up the day’s shopping in a bag she brought to the store. For her, the environmental issue is more important than the price. – I haven’t thought too much about the fact that they have become more expensive, she says and smiles.
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Massive decline: Now many more people than before do like Hilde
