In response to a report that Apple stores no longer issue shopping bags to customers, a chemical industry lobbying group has issued a statement applauding the company for discouraging use of plastic bags, but supporting “customer preference” when multiple products are purchased. The American Chemical Council (ACC) said in a statement that they support a shopper’s right “to refuse a bag they don’t need,” and to bring their own reusable bags. The group said that plastic bags are “an environmentally responsible choice,” mainly through recycling and re-use of bags. Plastic bags require 70 percent less energy, the ACC said, generate 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and create 80 percent less waste than paper alternatives. The group claimed that an “overwhelming majority of states, cities and retailers” have concluded that recycling is the best solution for reducing waste. Earlier this month the AppleInsider Web site reported that the no-bag policy is part of the company’s on-going environmental effort, but the change hasn’t been officially confirmed. Read the ACC’s entire press release.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Gary, is Apple Insider your only source on this one? You might want to at least make a few phone calls to some Apple Stores (as should the ACC, to be fair). Are there certain stores that have made this a store policy? I don’t believe this is a company policy. We’re still using the typical plastic bags at our store, but we’re asking customers whether they want one or not rather than just giving everyone one — same as we’ve been doing for years. Probably only 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 of all customers take a bag, typically if they have lots of loot to carry.
I was wondering about that also. What does a customer do when they purchase a lot of items, juggle them out of the store?
The store near us is also still giving out bags when needed. (Any more than one or two small items a bag comes out just like normal.)
AppleInsider has been the only source of the “no bag” change. Like some others, I have also witnessed bags still going out the door. I thought it was just the remaining inventory of bags being used, but now it appears that bags are still in use. But think…although having a nicely-designed bag carried around the mall is great advertising, having a customer carry a laptop out in one of those handle-boxes is even better. You don’t need a bag and the “billboard” is even larger and more conspicuous. Either way, it’s odd to me that the chemical industry would tackle Apple over something reported by the alternative press.
It’s a petroleum and big chemical public relations firm. Follow the money—they lose tons of money if retail follows Apple’s lead and stops using plastic bags.
There are a few apple stores that are in fact implementing a no bag policy as part of a pilot project, however it is not company wide project at this point.
The bag is why I buy stuff at the apple store. The larger the product the larger the bag. I love the bags.
Who the heck wants to walk through the mall carrying an item that isn’t in a bag?
The bags are cool, but I remember when they were the blue single drawstring bags. I abused the heck out of one of those. I was always throwing it around on concrete, scratching and tearing that thing up, but it always stayed together. Then there got to a point where I have so many of the bags, I don’t need anymore.
How many times do you really go to the mall and just happen to buy something at Apple? For me, never. I always go to Apple either for service or to buy something specifically, in which case I won’t be walking around with the item after I buy it, I’ll just take it straight with me to my car. First the receipts went away (mostly), and now the bags are going away too (again, mostly). I approve, especially since either one is still available upon request.
-Brian
“The group said that plastic bags are “an environmentally responsible choice,” mainly through recycling and re-use of bags. Plastic bags require 70 percent less energy, the ACC said, generate 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and create 80 percent less waste than paper alternatives.”
They must think we are all stupid to swallow this cr*p…and since no-one else has picked this apart, perhaps it’s true. If you are an organisation that can say this sort of thing, still maintain a straight face and get away with it, then the environmental message has successfully been hijacked.
Lets be clear about this: … plastic bags are “an environmentally responsible choice,” IF and ONLY IF you reuse the bags at least 10 times AND dispose of them in recycling containers AND IF you do not drive or consume some other hydrocarbons along the way to recycling. That’s an awful lot of ‘ifs.’
The rest of the statement: “Plastic bags require 70 percent less energy, the ACC said, generate 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and create 80 percent less waste than paper alternatives.” is a downright lie.
In a mirror to the Mac/PC disinformation wars of yesteryear, this statement by the ACC will now be bandied about in lobbyist circles as a ‘truth’ to ‘protect workers jobs’ which as we all know is code for ‘fill my pockets with environmentally unfriendly cash.’
DentArthurDent is right – follow the money.
Check this link
I’ve heard these arguments from several sources – and they all seem to be pretty consistent. However, the bags I’ve gotten from Apple Stores are not the same as these at all. Those ones I have used multiple times, sometimes every day and they have lasted a very long time, all more than six months. I am currently on my third one that I use every day. I started using the first one the winter of 2007-08. I got rid of that one when I dropped it with a glass bottle in it and the bottle broke. I started with the second one after that last year. I only stopped using that one because I dropped it into a puddle while walking the dog. I put that one into my recycling bin as it had a recycling symbol on it. I can’t recall whether the first one had a symbol on it or not.