ACS

ACS is today holding its first Environment Forum to help retailers face the environmental challenge.

The aim of the Environment Forum is to give convenience retailers information and best practice advice on how to make environmentally friendly trading a reality. The forum features guests from the Convenience Industry, presenting the ways in which they meet the challenge of going green, along with presentations by DEFRA representatives.

One of the issues that ACS is helping retailers to tackle is that of the carrier bag. There is currently a substantial amount of media coverage on the environmental impact of carrier bags, with some calling for an outright ban.

James Lowman, ACS’ Chief Executive said: “An outright ban on carrier bags would be impractical. However, we are in favour of voluntary measures and have signed up to the DEFRA ambition to reduce the impact of carrier bags by 25%, by the end of the year. We are also open to discussion with the Government on ideas such as the introduction of a levy on carrier bags. We will continue to work together with DEFRA and the Government on the way forward for convenience retailers on this issue.”