* Sainsbury's issued carrier bags was below 1,000 in 2020/21. ** Tesco and Waitrose reported that they did not sell any single use carrier bags for 2022/23 and 2023/24.Â
Only supermarkets for which data was available have been included in the ranking. Figures are for the financial year from April to April.
The number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by English supermarkets has decreased considerably since the mandatory charge was introduced in 2015. This charge was introduced in a bid to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic waste. As a result, the number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by Tesco dropped from *** million to just *** million from FY 2016 to 2021, while in 2022 and 2023 Tesco did not sell any single-use carrier bags in England. The Co-Op saw a reduction from roughly *** million bags in FY 2016 to just below ** million bags in FY 2023.
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GOV.UK. (September 19, 2024). Number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by major supermarkets in England from FY 2016 to FY 2023 (in millions) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/
GOV.UK. "Number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by major supermarkets in England from FY 2016 to FY 2023 (in millions)." Chart. September 19, 2024. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 24, 2026. /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/
GOV.UK. (2024). Number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by major supermarkets in England from FY 2016 to FY 2023 (in millions). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2026. /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/
GOV.UK. "Number of Single-use Plastic Carrier Bags Issued by Major Supermarkets in England from Fy 2016 to Fy 2023 (in Millions)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 19 Sep 2024, /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/
GOV.UK, Number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by major supermarkets in England from FY 2016 to FY 2023 (in millions) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/ (last visited July 24, 2026)
Number of single-use plastic carrier bags issued by major supermarkets in England from FY 2016 to FY 2023 (in millions) [Graph], GOV.UK, September 19, 2024. [Online]. Available: /statistics/792070/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-issued-england/
