Customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bag when shopping in-store. Alternatively, they will have the option to purchase a reusable bag or request a re-used cardboard box or an 8-pack carrier at no cost. For a limited time, LCBO will be also offering a reusable cooler bag for sale starting May 24 – just in time for summer celebrations.

“Fifteen years ago, we took the lead to remove single-use plastic bags from our stores. Now, the removal of single-use paper bags is another important step in our efforts to minimize our impact on the environment,” said George Soleas, President & CEO, LCBO. “We know that our customers believe strongly in our initiatives to innovate on packaging and create less waste. We thank them for always driving us to do more to create a more sustainable Ontario and for their support through this transition.”

This announcement comes as LCBO wraps up our Shine Sustainably campaign, our second environmental campaign under our Spirit of Sustainability platform, which spotlights our partnership with Tree Canada / Arbres Canada and our goal of planting one million trees across Ontario through reforestation programs, community tree grants, and partners in planting initiatives. As part of the campaign, LCBO customers and employees raised more than $820,000 for Tree Canada through in-store donations to help fund community planting and forest building initiatives.

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Today, Loblaw Companies Limited announced plans to eliminate all single-use plastic shopping bags from its corporate and franchise grocery stores, pharmacies, and PC Express service across the country, to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2023.  This move completes a 15-year journey, which commenced with the company being one of the first major retailers in Canada to implement a pay-for-bag program to help reduce plastic waste.

“As a purpose-led organization, committed to helping Canadians live life well, we are proud to be taking a significant step on such an important environmental issue,” said Robert Sawyer, Chief Operating Officer, Loblaw Companies Limited.  “Since 2007, our efforts to reduce the number of single-use plastic shopping bags leaving our stores has led to 13.8 billion fewer bags potentially going into landfill.”

Loblaw customers have already rallied around the reusable bag approach. The adoption of a plastic bag fee led to a 70% decline in the use of plastic bags in its stores, and shoppers have turned to the iconic PC reusable bag and plastic bins as sustainable alternatives.  As single-use plastic shopping bags are phased out systematically, province by province, customers will be supported with a variety of reusable alternatives as well as ongoing communications to raise awareness of the options available.

This is the latest in a long line of announcements related to Loblaw’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts.  Notably, to help fight climate change, Loblaw will achieve the following: net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 for Scope 1 and 2, and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for Scope 3; reduce plastic waste by making all of its control brand and in-store packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025; send zero food waste to landfill by 2030; and more.  The full scope of the Company’s ESG commitments can be found in its 2021 ESG Report.

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• Change will prevent almost three-quarters-of-a-billion plastic bags from entering circulation each year
• Walmart will eliminate plastic shopping bags for in-store shopping along with online grocery pickup and delivery orders
• Walmart will become one of the largest grocery retailers in the country to make this change.

Walmart Canada will eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags preventing almost three-quarters-of-a billion plastic bags from entering circulation each year.

The changes apply to in-store purchases along with online grocery pickup and delivery orders. The phased approach will see all of Walmart’s more than 400 Canadian locations make the change by Earth Day 2022.

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