Responsible Wood welcomes Woolworths new Australian-made paper bag

21 December 2020 Certification on the ground

Responsible Wood, our national member for Australia, has welcomed an announcement by Woolworths, one of the country’s main supermarkets, that it will be stocking PEFC-certified paper bags.

The move comes ahead of a progressive roll-out of Australian-made paper bags over the next 12 months.

Woolworths paper shopping bags were first launched in June 2020 in response to customer demand for a paper carry bag option.

“Whilst almost all customers are now bringing their own reusable bags, we know unplanned shops will present a challenge from time to time,” said Natalie Davis, Managing Director of Woolworths Supermarkets.

“Earlier this year we introduced the option of a paper bag, which can be recycled at home, and the feedback from customers has been positive.”

More and more, shoppers are ditching plastic packaging and instead opting for environmentally friendly alternatives, including naturally recyclable, fibre-based products.

Detpak, a manufacturer of paper and cardboard packaging products holding a PEFC/Responsible Wood certification, will manufacture the paper bags using PEFC-certified material.

“Detpak is pleased to be localising the manufacture of Woolworths’s paper bags,” explains Alf Ianniello, CEO of Detpak’s parent company Detmold Group.

“These bags support the move to a circular economy, and are made from 70 per cent locally sourced recycled content.”

Responsible Wood CEO Simon Dorries has welcomed the use of PEFC-certified paper providing customers with confidence that their purchase supports sustainable forest management.

“By choosing paper that comes from a PEFC-certified forest, consumers can have confidence that their decisions have not contributed to an unsustainable practice, nor damaged the ecological, social and economic wellbeing of our forests,” he explains.

The bags are made from 70 per cent recycled paper in conjunction with un-recycled paper which provides a stronger structure to carry up to 6kg of groceries.

Woolworths shoppers can choose from four carry bag options including the 20-cent paper bag, Woolworths Bag for Good, reusable plastic bags made from 80 per cent recycled materials and foldable fabric bags also available at the checkout.

Since Woolworths began phasing out single-use plastic bags in 2018, more than 6 billion bags have been taken out of circulation. Only 15 per cent of customers now purchase a new bag during a transaction when visiting a Woolworths store.