HEMA switches to shopping bags made from recycled materials

No more bags made from virgin plastic at checkouts from now on

Amsterdam, 23 August 2021 - HEMA will gradually stop selling bags made from virgin plastic. Free bags were already banned. HEMA is going one step further by only offering bags made from recycled materials at the checkout. This way HEMA is making it easier for customers to make a more sustainable choice and taking its responsibility to prevent the unnecessary use of virgin plastic. In doing so, HEMA is reducing its use of virgin plastic by 370,000 kilos per year*. This step is aligned with HEMA’s ambition to become an increasingly sustainable retail chain by making more use of recycled materials.

bags
The new bags are reusable and available in different models, sizes and designs, so there is a suitable bag for every kind of shopping trip. The materials are all recycled: cotton, polyester and polypropylene. The recycled cotton bag has white dots, the others have red dots or red dots with Takkie. Prices range from €1 for the foldable ones and €1.75 for the large shopping bag.

sustainable product choices
Step by step, HEMA is working to make its assortment more sustainable so that it will operate in an increasingly circular manner in the future. The pilot project, which started with the collection of textiles at 24 branches, is a good example of this. HEMA’s ambition is to use the collected textiles to make new products. An increasing part of the product range, such as duvets, towels, swimwear and suitcases, already consists of recycled materials. HEMA is also taking steps with respect to packaging; for example, HEMA soft drinks and water bottles are made from rPet and personal care packaging consists of 25-100% recycled material.

*This is the amount of plastic, on an annual basis and in kilograms, that HEMA saves when all plastic bags are replaced. The 2019 volume has been used for this calculation.