Waitrose & Partners, in partnership with Jutexpo – a leading manufacturer of reusable bags – and designer Emma Bridgewater, have created a new exclusive reusable bag made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, which raises money for the Marine Conservation Society.
The jute-style bag (£5.67) is created using the material from 12 plastic bottles and the handy fold-away pouch bag (£3.78) is created from four plastic bottles. The process involves turning the plastic into a durable and practical fabric called rPet, short for recycled polyethylene terephthalate, which looks like jute, but with a wipe-clean coating.
As voted for by the supermarket’s staff, 10% of the retail price from each bag will go to the Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading marine charity dedicated to protecting our seas, shores and wildlife.
The innovative first-to-market material launched last May with an initial design and since then more than 298,000 Emma Bridgewater bags have been made from recycling over 1.8 million plastic bottles.
Marion Gorrod, Branch Manager at Waitrose & Partners St Saviour, said: “Single-use plastic bags are becoming a thing of the past and our customers are looking for more environmentally friendly options. These beautiful Emma Bridgewater bags are ideal for our customers as they not only look good, but they do good too.”
Emma Bridgewater comments: “I am so pleased to launch these shopping bags made from recycled plastic water bottles in our cheerful Anemone pattern. The recent focus on eliminating unnecessary plastic in an effort to protect our environment is vital.
“I hope that Waitrose shoppers will enjoy these super-light and practical bags; and that they will serve as a daily reminder of one of the positive things we can do to repurpose existing plastic waste.”
