Ban Your Bag

In April 2008 we thought it was about time to trash plastic bags. They seem to be everywhere—they are littering our streets, they are harmful to the environment, and they kill wildlife. While most shoppers use a plastic bag for less than one hour, it takes up to 1,000 years for them to break down in the environment. Many cities and countries around the world have taken action to limit the use of plastic bags, but very little has happened in North America which is why we took up the cause.

We hit the streets with our "Bag Monster" and a petition to support the ban of plastic bags. To help stop the addiction to plastic, we convinced people to swap their plastic bags for a durable, reusable cloth bag instead. Promoting reusable canvas bags is one of the many things we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint. Considering that 12 million barrels of oil are used every year to make America’s plastic bags, banning their use will have a significant impact on halting climate change.

LUSH is one of the few retailers that don’t use plastic carrier bags—we use 100% recycled paper bags for customers that need them. But of course, paper bags aren’t the answer either—what’s really needed is for customers to get into the habit of carrying reusable canvas bags wherever they go.