The point tax on plastic bags was introduced on May 1, 2020, and the sale of bags plummeted. About a month later, Ica and Coop reported that their sales of plastic bags had halved, while sales at Axfood chains had decreased by 70 percent.
Now, the chains expect sales to increase again, but not to the same levels as before.
Other ways
"Many have found other, more sustainable ways to carry their goods home", writes Kristina Hermansson, communications manager at Lindex, where they have been charging for plastic bags since 2017 to contribute to reduced consumption.
"Customer behavior has changed, there are more who have gotten into the habit of bringing reusable bags to the store. And there are certainly many customers who will continue to choose paper bags", writes Willys communications manager Johanna Eurén in an email response.
Despite changed customer behavior, most are still preparing for more customers to choose plastic bags. Åhléns will reintroduce its smallest plastic bag, in A4 size, which was previously removed due to the plastic tax making it too expensive.
Not cheaper
What the price of a plastic bag will be after the tax is removed is not entirely clear. Most say they will lower the price corresponding to the tax reduction, but the plastic bag will not necessarily become much cheaper than a paper bag.
At Willys, this means the price will be reduced from 6.90 kronor to 3.90 – the same price as a paper bag. Other chains also have paper bags that are priced around the same as their plastic bags.
Since the point tax on plastic bags was introduced, many chains have developed reusable alternatives, and this is something they will continue to offer. Clas Ohlson is introducing a new range of reusable bags where customers can choose between recycled plastic, paper, and reusable bags. Lidl highlights that they have a reusable bag made of recycled material that is only 40 öre more expensive than the plastic bag that costs 6.50 kronor with the tax.
"Our hope is that the time with the plastic bag tax has changed behavior and that reusable bags or paper bags are customers' first choice", writes Robert Stekovic, purchasing and marketing director at Lidl Sweden.
The tax was introduced on May 1, 2020: three kronor for carrier bags and 30 öre for thinner fruit and vegetable bags.
The goal of the tax was to reduce littering in nature and oceans, according to an EU directive from 2015. Member states are required to reduce the consumption of plastic bags to 40 per person and year by 2025.
When the Riksdag voted on the tax in January 2020, the Sweden Democrats and The Moderate Party were against the proposal.
