Nov 22, 2024 21:00:00

Research shows that when retailers charge for plastic bags, sales of plastic bags actually increase

In Japan, charging for plastic bags is becoming the norm, and many people carry eco-bags. Professor

Hai Choi, a marketing professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Management, and his team conducted a survey to measure the effects of charging for plastic bags, and found that the number of plastic bags sold increased as a result of the introduction of a charge for plastic bags.

EXPRESS: Are We Worse off after Policy Repeals? Evidence from Two Green Policies - Dinesh Puranam, Sungjin Kim, Jihoon Hong, Hai Che,
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00222437241290157

Banning free plastic bags for groceries resulted in customers purchasing more plastic bags, study finds
https://phys.org/news/2024-11-free-plastic-bags-groceries-resulted.html

The Journal of Marketing Research , a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Marketing Association , published the results of a study measuring the effectiveness of charging for plastic bags.

The study analyzed barcode scan data from grocery and retail stores in Dallas and Austin, Texas, where plastic bags were previously charged, to measure the extent to which paid plastic bags were purchased after the introduction of charges.

'We had hoped that charging for plastic bags would have a positive ripple effect, in that customers would become more environmentally conscious and reduce their consumption of disposable plastic and paper products,' said Choi. 'However, the data did not show this. In the end, consumers ended up buying more paid plastic bags.'

Choi and his team speculate that consumers continue to buy plastic bags even though they have to pay for them because they use them at home instead of garbage bags. The team also claims that the introduction of a fee for plastic bags has had a positive ripple effect, such as some consumers getting into the habit of using canvas eco-bags, although there is no data to back this up.

In Dallas, where the survey was conducted, a 5-cent (about 7.7 yen) charge was imposed on plastic bags for about five months in 2015. However, Dallas was sued by a plastic bag manufacturer, and the policy to charge for plastic bags was abolished. After plastic bags were distributed free of charge again in Dallas, the number of paid plastic bags sold dropped sharply, but after 13 months, it seems that the number had returned to the level before the policy to charge for plastic bags was implemented.

In Austin, another city where the survey was conducted, the free distribution of plastic bags was banned in 2013. However, in 2018, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that 'charges for plastic bags are prohibited throughout the state,' ending the policy after five years. After the policy was repealed in Austin, the number of plastic bags sold for a fee gradually decreased. However, even after the survey period (up to 18 months after the repealing of the policy), the number of bags sold did not return to the level before the policy was implemented, and sales remained 38.6% higher than before the policy was implemented.

The research team used a break-even analysis to assess the environmental impact of the increased use of plastic bags due to the plastic bag fee policy. According to the analysis, in order to reduce the environmental impact of the increased use of plastic bags due to the plastic bag fee policy, in Dallas, consumers would need to reduce their plastic bag purchases by one for every seven shopping trips, and in Austin, consumers would need to reduce their plastic bag purchases by one for every five shopping trips.

'Interestingly, even a small reduction in the use of plastic bags for groceries can offset the increase in plastic bags used as garbage bags,' said Choi. 'This suggests that even if plastic bag charges are repealed, they could still benefit the environment overall.'

'While our study focuses on plastic bags, similar spillover effects have been documented for sugary drinks, energy efficiency, and health promotion policies,' Choi said. 'For example, a tax on soda can lead consumers to buy more sugary snacks, affecting behaviors that are not directly targeted by the policy.' He pointed out that spillover effects can have unintended effects on things that are not directly targeted.