It doesn’t take market research and online surveys to know that more and more people want to do their part to help the environment. Most environmentally aware citizens recycle. We don’t litter. And a lot of us have switched from plastic bottled water to a reusable aluminum one.
So bringing a reusable fabric bag when you grocery shop seems like a no-brainer. You’ll keep plastic out of landfills. If fewer bags are made, less energy is spent producing them. And, if the grocery store charges for bags, you’ll save money.
But are US consumers embracing the eco-friendly grocery bag option as much as they have embraced the blue box? A recent market research study from MaCorr reveals the truth.
53% still buy single-use plastic bags
While the majority of frequent grocery shoppers in the US (53%) still use single-use plastic bags, 39% (or 2 out of 5 market research respondents in an online survey) have already switched to reusable polypropylene or fabric bags.
Forgetfulness and inconvenience leads to plastic bag use
Of the grocery shoppers who said they still use plastic bag in a recent market research study, 63% admit they do so because they forget to bring their reusable bag into the store.
An overwhelming number choose fabric bags to help the environment
The majority of those who choose reusable grocery bags do so because they care about the environment.
More than half of respondents leave their reusable bags in the car
57% of frequent grocery shoppers who choose reusable bags keep them in the car. 30% of market research respondents keep them in the kitchen. 68% usually take four bags or less into the store.
Bottom line? There’s still some resistance to fabric grocery bag use among US grocery shoppers mainly due to convenience, but those who value the environment go out of their way to make using fabric grocery bags a priority.
Summary:
This article discusses the statistics behind reusable bags versus plastic bags. Over 50% still buy plastic bags. Quite a few people who use reusable bags keep them in their car. The biggest factors leading to plastic bag usage are forgetfulness and convenience. Understanding why people have certain sustainability habits is important to understanding their motivations and will be beneficial to my design concepts.
Works Cited:
Unearthing the truth about reusable grocery bags. MaCorr Research Blog. (n.d.). https://www.macorr.com/blog/?p=142#:~:text=53%25%20still%20buy%20single%2Duse,reusable%20polypropylene%20or%20fabric%20bags
