Coles rolls out simple solution to resolve shopping frustration

Navigating the produce section of your local supermarket can sometimes feel like an exercise in environmental guilt.

Seeing those flimsy, single-use plastic bags can leave us with a nagging feeling that we're contributing to the planet's plastic problem.

But for Coles shoppers, this familiar frustration might soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a simple yet ingenious solution the supermarket chain is trialling.



In a move that's sure to be welcomed by environmentally conscious consumers, Coles is introducing cardboard boxes as an alternative to plastic produce bags.

This eight-week trial, which has already commenced in select stores across Australia, is not only a nod to sustainability but also a potential game-changer for shoppers who are tired of wrestling with plastic bags or who often forget their reusable ones at home.


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Coles is trialling cardboard boxes as an alternative to plastic bags. Credit: Shutterstock


The cardboard boxes, which were originally used to deliver produce to the stores, offer a sturdy and recyclable way to carry fruit and vegetables while shopping.

Customers can either take these boxes home or leave them at the checkout for someone else to use, creating a cycle of reuse that could significantly reduce plastic waste.

Coles Chief Operations and Sustainability Officer Matt Swindells has highlighted the dual benefits of this initiative.



‘We know our customers want us to provide more sustainable packaging solutions, and this trial offers a plastic-free alternative to fresh produce bags that, if successful, could see a sizeable reduction in the number of plastic produce bags in circulation,’ Swindells said.

The push for recyclable produce packaging is backed by consumer sentiment, with a Coles survey revealing that eight out of 10 shoppers consider it important for such packaging to be recyclable.

Furthermore, 61 per cent of customers interviewed responded positively to the idea of the cardboard box trial.



This isn't the first time Coles has experimented with eco-friendly alternatives.

Earlier this year, the supermarket tested the waters with the 'Swap-a-box' initiative, where customers at 29 stores had the option to purchase a Coles carry box for $2.

Although the response was encouraging, a spokesperson said the scheme has since concluded and is not currently ongoing.
Key Takeaways
  • Coles is trialling the use of cardboard boxes as an alternative to single-use plastic bags for loose fruit and vegetables in select stores.
  • The initiative is a sustainability effort aimed at reducing the use of plastic produce bags and providing a free solution for shoppers who forget reusable bags.
  • A Coles survey revealed that a significant majority of shoppers find it important for produce packaging to be recyclable, and the cardboard box trial received positive feedback.
  • The 'Swap-a-box' scheme, which allowed customers to buy a Coles carry box for $2, recently ended despite the positive response it garnered.
Have you spotted these cardboard boxes at your local Coles? Do you think this could be the solution to reducing plastic waste in supermarkets? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below!
 
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I have always said supermarkets should have an area where boxes are put so anyone can use them. It is handy for anyone who has forgotten a bag & saves the shop having to get rid of them. We NEVER forget our bags. As soon as we have emptied them at home they are put in front of the back door & whoever goes out that way picks them up & puts them in the car. How easy is that to do!
 
Wow what an innovating idea! Reminds me of an idea from way back before the 70's of an in-store box receptacle where you grabbed packing boxes of any size to put your groceries in. It was discontinued with the introduction of plastic carry bags. Who would have thought!
 
our local IGA store has used cardboard boxes as an alternative for years,. Being a connoisseur of cardboard boxes, if i see a particularly nice one I'll sometimes grab it even if i do have my bags with. You just never know when you might need a box just like that. Love it.
 
I have purchased bags made of a hessian fabric from both Woolworths and Coles. They will last forever, hold ample quantities of groceries, are easy to carry and wait patiently in the back of my car for my next trip to a supermarket. I don't see the point of bulky cardboard boxes myself.
 
Back in 1967, I had turned 15 and got a job with S.E.Dickens; The forerunners of Coles.
In those days we always used the boxes from goods to pack the shopping into, But unlike Coles we didn't charge
$2 for the recycled boxes ;So is Coles trying another rip off to extract extra revenue?
 
Back in 1967, I had turned 15 and got a job with S.E.Dickens; The forerunners of Coles.
In those days we always used the boxes from goods to pack the shopping into, But unlike Coles we didn't charge
$2 for the recycled boxes ;So is Coles trying another rip off to extract extra revenue?
Yep. Go to Bunnings and bring some home. Although I tried that when moving. Restricted me to one and said they sell moving boxes 😀
 
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I have previously made comment on this site re the use of the cardboard cartons for packing groceries instead of the bags. The cartons they are referring to are not very deep, so won't suit everything, but it is a great start.
 
our local IGA store has used cardboard boxes as an alternative for years,. Being a connoisseur of cardboard boxes, if i see a particularly nice one I'll sometimes grab it even if i do have my bags with. You just never know when you might need a box just like that. Love it.
try using thWhy ese boxes with nowhere to put them at home. I shopped IGA for many years now 2 things stop me... firstly we now need a mobile phone to do internet shopping which is useless to people who either have no use for these or live where there is no connection to the internet and phone as in a huge area of Bundaberg. I no longer use a car so was getting home deliveries. My order came in boxes... again useless to someone living in a small unit and nowhere to put them. I offered them back but was told "we get rid of 2 truckloads of boxes every day from the shop"I'm about to go Lite and Easy and stuff the lot of them although I do miss my friends who work in the shop. AFTERTHOUGHT Why did we get rid of plastic bags and replace them with PLASTIC BAGS eg for puting fruit and veggies in, sandwich bags, rubbish bags, etc ?
 
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Back in 1967, I had turned 15 and got a job with S.E.Dickens; The forerunners of Coles.
In those days we always used the boxes from goods to pack the shopping into, But unlike Coles we didn't charge
$2 for the recycled boxes ;So is Coles trying another rip off to extract extra revenue?
It doesn't say that they are charging $2 for the boxes. They say you can take them & return them if you wish
 
I worked in a supermarket while still at school in the UK. We had a ‘pit’ near the checkouts where cardboard boxes we stored for customers to help themselves. Much better than bags. I have never understood why home deliveries and click and collect orders can’t be packed in recycled boxes. I always have my own bags when I shop in store but when I get a home delivery it really annoys me to have all these bags that are hard to reuse as they are usually ripped and useless
 
Kmartin has an alternative also. A $2 bag, similar to canvas, that holds plenty, you own it and it's good enough to double as a beach bag etc ( if you don't mind flaunting the kmart logo).
 
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I have always said supermarkets should have an area where boxes are put so anyone can use them. It is handy for anyone who has forgotten a bag & saves the shop having to get rid of them. We NEVER forget our bags. As soon as we have emptied them at home they are put in front of the back door & whoever goes out that way picks them up & puts them in the car. How easy is that to do!
Ditto.
 
I just use my cloth bags all the time and you can wash them, and I can put the bags in my little pull along jeep, you can't put boxes in the jeeps, not only that, it means cutting more trees down to make the cardboard boxes, cloth bags any day.
 

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