Supporting the cause of International Plastic Bag Free Day, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) partnered with Carrefour to remove all single-use plastic bags from its cash counters for three consecutive days.

To encourage more sustainable, long-term shopping habits, Carrefour provided each in-store customer with a free reusable bag, alongside 10 reward points for MyClub members.

From July 3 to 5, the green initiative aimed to fight plastic bag pollution and contribute to a more sustainable environment, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the efforts of the MME.

MME’s Awareness head Noof BaKhamis said: “This marks the second year that we celebrate International Plastic Bag Free Day. In doing so, we hope to continue raising awareness of the long-term damage that single-use plastic consumption has on the environment and encouraging customers to shop with reusable bags. This year, in spite of the disruptions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, we ran this initiative for three consecutive days, encouraging customers to reduce their plastic footprint by cutting down their consumption of single-use plastics."

“We would like to commend Carrefour for their ongoing sustainability efforts and community-mindedness. The brand continues to demonstrate its commitment to the people it serves by creating a successful campaign geared towards the development of a greener, cleaner and more sustainable world," BaKhamis added.

Carrefour Qatar country manager Laurent Hausknecht said, “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. We have a number of activities in place to change habits toward single-use plastic bags, such as creating quicker green cash counters in all our hypermarkets for those who bring reusable bags.

“Through our celebration of International Plastic Bag Free Day, we're highlighting our commitment to tackling plastic pollution, having removed all single-use plastic bags from our store for three days. We thank the ministry for its endorsement of this important cause and hope that together, we’ve inspired customers to continue contributing to a greener, safer and healthier world.”

Carrefour has saved over 4mn single-use plastic bags in the first six months of the year, which is equivalent to a reduction of 7 tonnes in carbon emissions, a press statement notes.

"Today, Carrefour is a leading regional retailer that is pioneering sustainable initiatives that contribute to a greener environment. The brand continues to plan new initiatives designed to protect the environment and encourage communities to play their part in creating a greener, cleaner world by reducing their reliance on single-use plastic bags," it adds.


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