The excise tax on plastic bags was introduced on 1 May 2020 and sales of the bags plummeted. Just over a month later, Ica and Coop stated that their sales of plastic bags had halved, while sales at the Axfood chains had decreased by 70 percent.
Now the chains expect sales to increase again, but not to the same levels as before.
Other ways
“Many have found other, more sustainable ways to carry their goods home,” writes Kristina Hermansson, communications manager at Lindex, where they have been charging for plastic bags since 2017 to contribute to reduced consumption.
“Customer behavior has changed, there are more people who have gotten into the habit of taking reusable bags with them to the store. And there are certainly many customers who will continue to choose the paper bag out of sheer momentum,” writes Willys communications manager Johanna Eurén in an email response.
Despite changed customer behaviour, most people are still preparing for the fact that more customers will choose plastic bags. Åhléns will reintroduce its smallest plastic bag, in A4 size, which was previously removed when it was considered to be too expensive with the plastic tax.
Not cheaper
What the price of a plastic bag will be after the tax is removed is not really clear. Most state that they will reduce the price corresponding to the tax reduction, but the plastic bag will not necessarily be much cheaper than a paper bag.
At Willys, this means that the price will be reduced from SEK 6.90 to SEK 3.90 – the same price as a paper bag. Other chains also have paper bags that are about the same price as the plastic ones.
Since the excise tax on plastic bags was introduced, many chains have introduced reusable options, and this is something they will continue to offer. Clas Ohlson introduces a new range of carrier bags where the customer can choose between recycled plastic, paper and reusable bags. Lidl highlights that it has a reusable bag made of recycled material that is only 40 öre more expensive than the plastic bag, which with tax costs SEK 6.50.
“Our hope is that the time with the plastic bag tax has changed behavior and that reusable bags or paper bags are the customers’ first choice,” writes Robert Stekovic, purchasing and marketing director at Lidl Sweden.
Fact: The tax on plastic bags
The tax was introduced on 1 May 2020: three kroner for carrier bags and 30 öre for thinner fruit and vegetable bags.
The goal of the tax was to reduce littering in nature and the oceans, according to an EU directive from 2015. According to the directive, member states must reduce the consumption of plastic bags to 40 per person per year by 2025 at the latest.
When the Riksdag voted on the tax in January 2020, the Sweden Democrats and the Moderates were against the proposal.