Marks and Spencer are rolling out a 'Bring Your Own Bag' initiative across 18 stores in Scotland that will see click and collect orders provided customers without a plastic carrier.
The retail giant has said that this will save over 800,000 units of plastic annually in Scotland. The roll out will only apply to picked and packed orders initially.
However, M&S hope to expand the initiative to all click and collect orders over time. A seven month trial found the scheme to be ‘simple and straightforward’.
In the trial, which was carried out in England and Ireland across 16 stores, 39,347 orders were fulfilled without plastic carriers provided, removing over 109 thousand units.
Scott Munro, Regional Manager for Scotland West, said: "We're very proud to have 18 stores across Scotland offering this new click & collect plastic saving initiative.
"M&S is the first large retailer to adopt this approach, and we’re thrilled to be leading the way for the business in Scotland."
More than 60 percent of M&S customers opt for click & collect which is over 15 million orders annually across the UK.
Of those orders - 25 percent are picked and packed in the customer’s local store – the equivalent of 4 million parcels.
Stephen Langford, Director of M&S.com, said: "Using our stores to fulfil Click & Collect orders continues to grow and we want to use this as a channel to encourage a behaviour change that helps to reduce single use plastic consumption.
"During trial phase, we had great feedback from customers as they saw it as a simple action that, collectively, can make a big difference."
How the initiative will work
Customers ordering at participating stores will be reminded at the point of checkout to bring their own bag when coming into store to collect an order placed online.
A further reminder is sent when the customer is notified that their order is ready to collect.
When picking up a click and collect order that has picked and packed, customers will be provided their items without a plastic carrier
The scheme in Scotland is part of a UK-wide initiative to reduce plastic in 251 Marks and Spencer stores.
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