Central England Co-op has announced it has removed single-use carrier bags from its food stores to mark World Environment Day (Wednesday).

ACJMEDIA030619016

The society has phased the bags out of circulation in recent months across 244 stores, meaning they are now no longer available.

Customers will now be offered a 10p biodegradable bag for life as an alternative or, where local council refuse collections can accommodate, a compostable bag.

The retailer has also announced it has reduced its total carbon footprint by 70% since 2010.

Energy consumption has been halved through the installation of a range of energy efficient technologies such as LED lighting, solar panels and adding doors to chillers, alongside changes to its distribution network which have reduced road miles and increasing fuel efficiency.

Central England Co-op’s energy and environment lead, Luke Olly, said: “As a responsible business, we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment

“We are delighted to mark World Environment Day by sharing with our customers and colleagues what we have achieved to reduce our impact on the environment.

“We are particularly proud to be able to say we have reduced our carbon footprint by 70% since 2010, which is a significant achievement, and have also removed all single-use carrier bags as part of our ongoing efforts to tackle plastic pollution.”

Central England Co-op has also rolled out a food redistribution scheme to 230 Food stores that is set to cut food waste by 40%.