ARE YOU READY?
ARE YOU READY?
What Retailers Can Do
- Make preparations for phasing out plastic bags. Start as soon as possible as it can take some time to run down your current plastic bag stocks.
- What alternatives are right for your retail outlets?
- Reusable bags and paper bags are now being used across a wide range of outlets, with different sizes and styles available from bag suppliers, to suit all needs.
- Details of the options and suppliers available for paper bags can be found at www.AreYouReady.com.au/suppliers_paper.php. Details of the options and suppliers available for reusable bags can be found at www.AreYouReady.com.au/suppliers_reusables.php.
- Educate your customers about plastic bag phase-out and the impact that plastic bags have on wildlife and the environment. Use your bags to tell the story
- Place posters near the tills and high traffic areas. Wherever possible, communicate with your customers, make in-store announcements about the phase-out, why you have changed bag options and what you are doing to help bring this about.
- Develop and implement a communication and training plan to ensure that your staff are able to answer customers questions about your stores phase-out and what your company is doing to achieve this.
- Make sure that your staff are able to give simple tips on how people can avoid using plastic bags for bin liners and other needs (these tips are available at the ‘Are You Ready’ web site).
- Do your research! Over the past five years, many retailers have achieved spectacular reductions in their usage of plastic check-out bags. Go to the ‘Are You Ready’ case studies page and check-out our growing list of retail role models. These will show you the many innovative ways that retailers have managed to reduce their usage of plastic check-out bags – in some cases to zero. Whatever you do, don’t reinvent the wheel. Many other retailers have done the ground work on this, so use our web site to learn from them.
- Get on the front foot! Create local media coverage for your retail outlet by showing how you’re getting ready for a plastic bag phase-out. It’s important to show that this is a joint effort between you, your staff and your customers. Make people feel good about what you’re doing – it’s a great way to demonstrate your commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the environment.
ARE YOU READY? If so, please share your success stories with us. We will place the best case studies and role models on to this web site. Just send your case studies by clicking here.
