IKEA goes biodegradable and introduces the UK’s first organic corn starch carrier phasing out plastic bags completely.

To support World Environment Day in June 2006 IKEA UK started charging for carrier bags and made a corporate pledge to reduce plastic bag consumption by 70% and introduce a biodegradable carrier bag by September.

IKEA will be the first retailer in the UK to offer a ‘compostable’ corn starch carrier bag. The bag will be made from starch extracted from corn and will naturally break down in a compost bin. The bag will cost 10p and the money made from charging for the bags will continue to be donated to the organisation Community Forests.

By October 2nd IKEA will have stopped using plastic bags completely. Every year an estimated 17½ billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets. This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK. Most carrier bags never get a second use they get thrown straight in the rubbish bin and take many years to degrade. Some plastic bags are marketed as degradable i.e. the plastic breaks down but is still there just in smaller fragments.

Mr Charlie Browne Environment Manager at IKEA UK said:
“Since we started charging for carrier bags back in June the scheme has been a fantastic success. Over night we saw huge reductions in consumption and all indications are that we will have reduced our consumption by 97% from 32 million last year to 900,000 this year which is far beyond our original expectations.

Our customers are overwhelmingly supportive mainly due to the fact that we make no profit from the project and they are being given a simple choice to help the environment. So the next logical step for us was to take traditional fossil fuel plastic out of the equation.”

Note to Editor

• The new bag will cost 10p. This is a new innovation into the UK retail market place. The technology and material used to make this bag is in its early stage of development, therefore the cost to make this bag is more than a regular plastic bag.

• The bag does look and feel like a standard plastic bag. The technology basis for the use of corn is to extract dextrose from the starch that is found in corn. This can then be turned into a polymer material that behaves in a similar manner to standard plastic.

• The new bag is designed to be strong in its ordinary working life and will only start to degrade when three elements are present, heat, moisture and bacteria. If any of these elements are missing then the bag will not biodegrade and therefore be fit for use again.

• The best place to put the bag is in a municipal composting bin as they can break down material in a very short space of time

• IKEA’s business shall have an overall positive impact on both people and the environment. IKEA believe that all wood used in their products should originate from responsibly managed forests. For more information go to
www.ikea-group.ikea.com/corporate

• Source of figure ‘estimated 17½ billion plastic bags are given away’ is Waste Watch.Waste watch is the leading environmental charity dedicated to the reduction, reuse and recycling of household waste. www.wastewatch.org.uk

• In 2005 IKEA UK gave away 32 Million bags. If they were place end to end they would stretch 19,200 Kilometers the equivalent of:
• 29 journeys between Edinburgh and London
• 3 and a half journeys from London to New York.
• A return journey to Tokyo.

• England’s Community Forests is a national initiative to revitalize and expand the network of trees, woodlands and green space in and around some of our major towns and cities for work, wildlife, education and recreation. For more information visit the Community Forest website at www.communityforest.org.uk

For more information please contact:
Nicki Craddock PR manager IKEA UK 0208 233 2378 / 07980 864308

more information on plastic bags