Tesco rewards customers for reusing bags

Tesco rewards customers for reusing bags

TESCO Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Tesco) is encouraging its customers to opt for reusable bags when shopping by rewarding them through its loyalty card scheme.

Through the Tesco Green Clubcard programme, members get additional Green Clubcard Points for every bag they reuse on top of existing Clubcard Points collected on their purchases.

At every quarter, the points are converted into Clubcard Cash Vouchers that can be used to offset the cost of purchases made at any Tesco and Tesco Extra store.

The initiative launched by Tesco since June last year is in line with the Selangor government’s “No Plastic Bag on Saturday” campaign.

According to a directive by Selangor executive councillor for Tourism, Consumer Affairs and the Environment Elizabeth Wong, retailers in the state have been requested not to give out plastic carrier bags to customers on Saturdays.

Under the campaign, retailers are to charge if customers insist on plastic bags. The campaign, part of the state’s green initiative, will run for six months beginning tomorrow.

However, Tesco stores in Selangor will only start charging 20 sen per plastic bag once its customers have gotten used to the idea of using reusable bags for shopping. The collection will be donated to the Malaysian Nature Society.

“We found this approach – encouraging customers to reuse bags and rewarding them for doing so – more effective and sustainable rather than penalising our customers by charging for the plastic carrier bags,” said Tesco corporate affairs director Marlene Kaur.

“We do not want to penalise our customers when they are still unaware of the Selangor government’s campaign. We believe that climate change will only be tackled successfully if people are encouraged to change their behaviour willingly, and to be enthusiastic champions for a lower-carbon lifestyle,” she said.

The scheme is not restricted to Tesco’s own carrier bags, shoppers can re-use any other bags as long as it is not a new plastic bag.

To help customers save costs, one of Tesco’s reusable bags – The Big Green Bag – will now cost 50% less at RM1.99.

Since the inception of a reward system through the Tesco Green Clubcard programme, Tesco has reduced the production of plastic bags by 20 million.