{"id":101347,"date":"2025-02-13T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=101347"},"modified":"2025-02-13T16:33:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T05:33:25","slug":"coles-bold-new-move-could-change-grocery-shopping-forever-but-spark-debate-among-aussie-shoppers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/coles-bold-new-move-could-change-grocery-shopping-forever-but-spark-debate-among-aussie-shoppers\/","title":{"rendered":"Coles\u2019 Bold New Move Could Change Grocery Shopping Forever, but Spark Debate Among Aussie Shoppers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Australia’s battle against plastic pollution<\/strong> has taken a promising turn, with supermarket giant Coles<\/strong> rolling out an eye-catching packaging change that\u2019s got eco-conscious shoppers talking. As the nation grapples with a massive 3.79 million tonnes<\/strong> of plastic waste per year, the move to swap plastic grape bags for recyclable paper alternatives<\/strong> has been met with applause\u2014and a few skeptical glances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Small Change with a Big Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spotted by keen-eyed shopper Maraya<\/strong> at a Coles store in Warriewood Square, NSW, the new paper grape bags<\/strong> have sparked excitement among those eager to cut down on unnecessary plastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s such an easy swap that will make a huge difference to the amount of plastic grape bags purchased every week,\u201d Maraya told Yahoo News Australia<\/a><\/em>. \u201cI hope to see other supermarkets taking the initiative and changing their plastic for paper as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new bags, which feature handles for easy carrying and are fully recyclable<\/strong>, form part of Coles\u2019 wider commitment to reducing plastic use across its stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coles\u2019 Growing Push for Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Coles spokeswoman confirmed that the supermarket is focused on cutting back on unnecessary plastic<\/strong>, particularly in the fresh produce section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are always looking for ways to reduce unnecessary plastic in our stores and know the fresh produce department is ripe for packaging innovation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grape bag swap follows successful trials of plastic-free blueberry punnets<\/strong> in 34 NSW stores last year. The switch to recycled, FSC-certified cardboard<\/strong> was well received, paving the way for further sustainable packaging initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another move, Coles\u2019 Unique Selection mandarins<\/strong> were trialed in a recyclable bag instead of the usual plastic net<\/strong>, saving a staggering 11,700 kilograms of plastic<\/strong> in just one year.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Coles’ mandarin bags replaced soft plastic netting. Source: Yahoo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Not Everyone Is Convinced<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While many customers have embraced the plastic-free grape bags<\/strong>, some remain skeptical about their practicality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood in theory, but I like being able to see into the clear bag to make sure they aren\u2019t all gross inside,\u201d one shopper commented online. Another voiced concerns about durability: \u201cThey\u2019ll probably rip like the shopping paper bags.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But others were quick to defend the switch. \u201cThese bags aren\u2019t meant to be carried long distances,\u201d one shopper pointed out. \u201cThe handles are there to pick them up and place them in a trolley or a basket. Then they\u2019re meant to be put in a bigger bag and taken home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraged by the positive response, Coles <\/a>has hinted at more sustainable packaging innovations in the pipeline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[We] look forward to sharing more packaging innovation with our customers in the future,\u201d the spokeswoman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shoppers at Coles have noticed a subtle but surprising change in the fresh produce aisle. A familiar grocery item just got a plastic-free makeover, sparking mixed reactions. Some are praising the move as a game-changer, while others question its practicality. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":101356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101347"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101358,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101347\/revisions\/101358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}