Uniqlo responds to Victorian government’s ban on single-use plastic bags.

Japanese retailer Uniqlo has announced plans to eliminate the use of plastic bags in its stores and will replace them with ‘eco-friendly’ paper bags from this month.

The bags will cost 15c in an attempt to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags, and will be launched in phases across the brand’s 21 Australian locations. The store will also sell branded bags made of recycled plastic bottles for $2.90.

The switch is part of a move by major retailers to become more environmentally-friendly, and coincides with the Victorian Government’s single-use plastic shopping bag ban which comes into effect in November.

“Sustainability has increasingly become a priority on the global agenda and as a leading retailer, it has been crucial for Uniqlo to look at how we can address this key issue, whether from a clothing design perspective, or current in-store practices,” Kensuke Suwa, Uniqlo Australia’s chief operating officer, said.

Woolworths also began offering paper bags earlier this month, in a bid to give more options to customers who forget to bring a reusable bag when shopping.