Are Bangladeshi customers ready for plastic bag-free shopping?

It was a typical day at Shwapno's Darussalam outlet, one of the largest supermarkets in the country, but the commotion inside was anything but routine.

A regular customer and loyalty member had just wrapped up her grocery shopping, with a bill over Tk9,000. But when she was asked to pay an extra Tk14 for a jute bag to carry her items, she flat-out refused.

"This is an unfair tactic to squeeze more money out of customers under the guise of a 'no plastic' policy," she shouted.

Her outburst quickly caught people's attention, and within 15 minutes, the outlet manager and several staff members were trying to calm her down.

In the end, she was so upset that she cancelled her entire order. Despite our efforts to reason with her, she stormed out, furious. 

In a recent move spearheaded by Interim Government Adviser Rizwana Hasan, the ban on the use of polythene and polypropylene shopping bags across all superstores in Bangladesh has been reintroduced, starting 1 October. Supershops are also asked to offer jute and cloth bags as eco-friendly alternatives under this policy. 

Although in most countries, including our neighbouring ones, the policy of bringing your own bag to superstores is a fairly common practice, it remains a novel concept for us. Over the last 10 days since the rule was enforced, we have seen mixed reactions nationwide.

Photo: Kaniz Supriya

Bangladesh first banned plastic bags in 2002, but the law eventually became largely ineffective. Although laws, regulations, and legal standards have been periodically introduced and revised, poor implementation, inadequate monitoring, and widespread mismanagement have hindered its success.

"This is the future of the shopping system, and we anticipated it long ago. Given the customers are not familiar with this system, the initial phase is a bit bumpy. But, slowly everyone will adapt hopefully," said Sabbir Nasir, the CEO of Shwapno.

At Shwapno, paper bags and jute bags are sold between Tk6 to Tk14, depending on the size. Customers are welcome to bring their own bags too to carry products.

Jesmin Ara, a cashier at Meena Bazar's Mirpur 1 outlet, mentioned they are facing difficulties explaining the new eco-friendly policy to customers.

"Many of our customers are unaware of this policy, so during checkout, we have to explain it individually. Educating them takes extra effort, but we hope that, in time, this practice will become common, and we won't need to explain it every time," she said.

Jesmin also noted that some customers are resistant, refusing to buy jute bags altogether. For these customers, the store offers leftover cartons and net bags.

"We're giving away free cartons from our stock, but they aren't the most practical option for carrying groceries. However, it's ultimately the customer's choice," she explained. Frozen items are wrapped in brown paper bags for added protection.

Most customers are clearly not enthused by all these changes.

"If you're heading straight home after buying frozen items, the brown paper bags work just fine. But if your commute is longer or you need more time to store the frozen items, these paper bags aren't enough to handle the moisture from defrosting," said Bina Akter, a customer at Shwapno.

Sabbir Nasir, CEO of Shwapno, acknowledged the challenge, saying, "We're actively exploring better alternatives to address this issue."

"Superstores are already more expensive than regular grocery shops because we have to pay extra VAT and tax. If you're buying a lot, paying for an additional bag makes sense. But for something small, like a Tk100 purchase, spending Tk10 on a bag seems excessive," said Amin Ullah, a banker from Tolarbag, Mirpur.

Amin had come to Meena Bazar to buy juice for his daughter. Instead of purchasing a jute bag, he carried the juice barehanded. 

Prince Bazar in Mirpur 1 also uses brown paper bags for organic items and offers free cartons and net bags. Their jute bags are priced between Tk7 and Tk12, depending on the size. However, the store still had some polypropylene bags in use.

"We had a large stock of polypropylene bags in our inventory, so we're giving them to customers who refuse to buy jute bags. Once they run out, we won't offer them anymore," said Tahsin Tabassum Trisha, a salesperson at Prince Bazar.

Tahsin further mentioned that the superstore had proactively informed its members about the new policy through multiple text messages.

"Our member customers seem to be more familiar with the policy compared to walk-in customers," she noted.

We also visited some small supershops in Mirpur, and they seemed largely unconcerned about the new policy. Some of their sales staff were even unaware of it.

At Daniyal Mart in Mirpur's 60 Feet Road, both net and polypropylene bags were in use, and they welcomed customers bringing their own bags. However, they have not yet started providing or selling jute bags.

Gulshan Unimart, on the other hand, has strictly adhered to the eco-friendly policy, offering no alternatives to jute bags. They only allow customers to bring their own bags if they are made from eco-friendly materials, completely barring the use of plastic bags. As a result, most customers are required to buy jute bags from the store.

Their jute bags are priced significantly higher than those at other superstores, with the cheapest priced at Tk29, mid-range bags at Tk145, and the most expensive at Tk430. This price difference has sparked some debate among regular shoppers, but the store remains firm in enforcing the policy to promote environmental sustainability.

While most customers across the city are struggling to adapt to this new system, some have shared positive feedback.

"I've always admired the 'bring your own bag' policy when shopping abroad. This practice was long overdue in our country. I'm glad super shops are adopting it. We should also implement this policy in lifestyle stores," said Inteqab Islam, a businessman from Gulshan.

Upon visiting various supershops across Dhaka, it is fair to say that the introduction of the eco-friendly bag policy has prompted mixed reactions, with some customers struggling to adjust, while others see it as a positive shift towards sustainability. As awareness grows, the new system is expected to become more widely accepted across the country.