Sack strong

While in our part of the world, plastic bag consumption is mainly criticized for wasting resources, in other parts of the world it is a serious threat to the world's oceans and their inhabitants. Between 500 trillion and one trillion plastic bags are produced every year. Most of them end up in the trash after a single use or, even worse, in the sea. There they end up in the stomachs of animals or become other deadly traps for fish, turtles or whales.

Bags that are subject to a charge reduce consumption. However, they only encourage repeated use to a limited extent, as you usually don't have the bag with you the next time you go shopping. Grey has found a simple way for the Tesco supermarket chain to turn the shopping bag into a valuable commodity: Printed barcodes give customers a further discount with every purchase.

The case film leaves some questions unanswered, which are answered on the Website from Tesco Malaysia. The "Unforgettable Bag" is subject to a charge. The bags will be available from April 22, World Earth Day, in eleven selected stores. There is a 20 sen discount per bag and purchase, with a maximum of two bags per purchase. One bag costs 50 sen, so it is not worth buying a new one to get the discount. However, as the campaign idea suggests, it is worth using the bag several times. The campaign will be extended to all Malaysian Tesco stores from June 11, 2018 and will run until the end of the year. So "Unforgettable Bag" is not just an agency's award idea, but a real campaign that will definitely work. And hopefully by the end of the year it will sensitize numerous customers and encourage them to rethink.

In other countries, Tesco is taking a different approach to bag reduction. In its home market of the UK, for example, the company has abolished disposable bags and replaced them with chargeable bags. "Bags for Life" replaced. The highlight: if the bag is damaged, it can be exchanged for a new one free of charge at Tesco. (hae)