Stockmann’s plastic bag campaign spawns 311 765 donations towards the Baltic Sea

Stockmann’s plastic bag campaign during September was a success. In September, only about one in three department store customers decided to buy a single-use carrier bag, whereas before the majority of purchases were packed into new carrier bags. This change, which will benefit the environment, came about because Stockmann started charging its customers for carrier bags in all its departments as of 1 September 2017. Stockmann’s campaign that encouraged customers not to buy a carrier bag also contributed to the change. 

During the campaign, Stockmann donated 5 cents towards the WWF’s activities to protect the Baltic Sea for each carrier bag that was not bought during September. During the month a total of 311 765 donations were registered. In some purchases, the donation was not registered, and because of this the amount donated was rounded up to ensure that donations were made for all carrier bags that were not purchased. The final amount that Stockmann will donate to the WWF’s activities to protect the Baltic Sea is EUR 20,000.
 
Paper bags have clearly increased in popularity since the beginning of September and part of the reason for this is that the smallest bag available in Stockmann’s new selection is a paper bag. The small bags made from thin plastic, of which over a million were handed out in the department stores each year, were removed from the selection and this has clearly reduced the consumption of plastic bags. Stockmann’s paper bags are made from FSC-certified wood.

The share of reusable carrier bags is still small, but consumption of these has grown since new and attractive options were introduced to the selection. For instance, the reusable bag made from renewable sugar cane that was launched in Stockmann Delicatessen in the spring has now established its place in the selection, and during the campaign, Globe Hope’s reusable Martti bag, which is sold in the store’s other departments, grew in popularity by 35% compared with the previous month. 

We’d like to thank all our customers for participating in the campaign and in the discussions related to the subject.

Further information: 
Johanna Stenbäck, CSR Manager, tel. +358 46 876 1529