Carrefour launches its successful green bag initiative in Egypt

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The hypermarket chain said that from June 30, shoppers at Carrefour's outlets in the Alexandria City Centre, Maadi City Centre and Dandy Mall will be encouraged to use the environment-friendly reusable bags as a substitute to plastic bags. The move follows the overwhelming success of Carrefour's initiative in its hypermarkets across the GCC.

In the first phase of the campaign, Carrefour will introduce 50,000 bags that have been produced in Egypt. Customers can avail of the bags at the entry points of the hypermarkets for a mere LE5. Furthermore, if damaged at any point, the bags will be replaced free of charge at any Carrefour outlet. The new development will make Carrefour the first hypermarket to launch an initiative of this kind in Egypt.

Speaking at a press conference in Cairo today, Egypt's Minister of State for Environment Affairs, Engineer Maged George Elias Ghattas pointed out that environment preservation has become the Number One priority of countries around the world.

'Nations and consumers around the world continuously explore effective ways to be sustainable and environmentally responsible,' explained Mr. Ghattas. 'Egypt is no exception too. The government actively supports initiatives that can create a better world for our generations to come and the role of private sector companies such as Carrefour is important in this endeavour.'

Single-use plastic bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) take over 1,000 years to decompose and endanger marine life. According to The Wall Street Journal, US consumers use over 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.

Carrefour successfully introduced the initiative in the GCC last year in co-ordination with regional environmental organisations and has sold over 600,000 recyclable bags till date.

'The success of our Green Bag programme in the GCC confirms that consumers welcome any initiative that makes a difference to the environment,' explained Dr. Herve Majidier, Head of Carrefour Egypt. 'Our latest campaign demonstrates the commitment our company has towards its consumers and the surroundings and we believe that by undertaking such environment friendly steps, we are setting a clear example for other companies operating in the region.'

In the GCC, Carrefour's reusable bag campaign is actively supported by the following governmental organisations - the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR) in Qatar, the Ministry of Regional Municipality, Environment and Water Resources in Oman, the Environmental Public Authority in Kuwait and by Presidency of Meteorology and Environment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.