Research and analysis

Single-use plastic carrier bags charge: data in England for 2019 to 2020

Updated 31 July 2023

Applies to England

Since 5 October 2015, large retailers in England have been required by law to charge 5p for all single use plastic carrier bags. They are required by law to report certain information[footnote 1] to Defra, and provide information on donations on a voluntary basis.

This publication summarises data collected by Defra for the reporting year from 7 April 2019 to 6 April 2020. We have previously published summaries for earlier years and published the full datasets on data.gov.uk. This includes the details provided by each retailer.

The summary for 2019 to 2020 is based on data from 194 retailers. There are 182 retailers who reported data for both 2019 to 2020 and 2018 to 2019, and in both years these retailers accounted for more than 95% of the total single use plastic carrier bags reported. Therefore, this difference in the retailers reporting in each year does not have a significant impact on the data or trends.

Due to Covid-19 a small number of retailers notified us that they were unable to provide data due to staff being furloughed. In addition, from 21 March 2020 retailers in England did not need to charge for bags used in online grocery deliveries. Non-essential retailers also closed on the 23 March 2020. These changes affect the last two weeks of the 2019 to 2020 reporting period.

1. Summary

Table 1: key figures on the carrier bag charge (1)

2019 to 2020 2018 to 2019 2017 to 2018 2016 to 2017
Number of retailers reporting data 194 221 249 261
Total number of single use plastic bags reported (2) 564 million 1.11 billion 1.75 billion 2.12 billion
Number of single use plastic bags reported by the main retailers (3) 226 million 549 million 1.04 billion 1.33 billion
Number of bags sold by the main retailers, per person of the population 4 10 19 24
Number of bags sold by all retailers reporting, per person of the population 10 20 32 38
Number of retailers supplying voluntary information about donations to good causes4 78 121 153 167
Total amount donated to good causes (4) £9.2 million £22.9 million £51.6 million £65.4 million

(1) Data for 2015/16 covered 6 months (5 October 2015 to 6 April 2016) and is not directly comparable. The results from 2015/16 are: 285 retailers reported, 1.1 billion single use bags were sold, 0.6 billion single use bags were sold by the main retailers and £29.2 million was donated to good causes.

(2) A small number of retailers reported data on a voluntary basis (i.e. those with less than 250 employees). These retailers account for less than 1% of all reported bags.

(3) The main retailers are Asda, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, The Co-operative Group, Waitrose and Morrisons.

(4) The headline figures on donations are not directly comparable between 2018/19 and 2019/20 due to changes in the retailers providing this information. At the time of reporting, some retailers did not have final figures for donations.

The main retailers (Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Tesco and Waitrose) sold 226 million single use plastic carrier bags in England in 2019 to 2020, compared to 549 million in 2018 to 2019. This is a decrease of 322 million bags[footnote 2] (59%). These retailers account for around 40% of the total bags reported by all retailers for 2019 to 2020. In 2018 to 2019 they accounted for 50% of total bags and in earlier years they have accounted for around 60%.

This is equivalent to each person in the population using 4 bags (from the main retailers) in 2019 to 2020, compared to 10 bags in 2018 to 2019, and 140 bags in 2014 before the charge was introduced.

All of the main retailers saw a reduction in the usage of single use bags. Asda and Tesco saw the largest reductions of 86.8 million (81%) and 79.6 million bags (65%) respectively.

WRAP have previously reported that the main retailers in England issued 7.6 billion single use carrier bags in the calendar year 2014, before the carrier bag charge was introduced. Our data indicates that, based on this year’s return, there has been a decrease of more than 95% in the number of bags sold by the main retailers (over 7.4 billion bags less) compared to 2014.

The total number of single use plastic bags sold by all retailers who reported in 2019 to 2020 was 564 million, a 49% decrease on the figures reported by all retailers in 2018 to 2019. This figure of 564 million includes a small number of single use carrier bags (less than 1%) that were reported on a voluntary basis.

Around 40% of the retailers reported additional information on how they chose to donate proceeds from the carrier bag charge. These retailers donated £9.2 million to good causes.

2. Donations to good causes

Around 40% of retailers (who accounted for 76% of all bags reported for 2019 to 2020) voluntarily provided information on donations they had made to good causes. It excludes one of the main retailers who choose not to provide this information, who had reported donations of £2.2 million in the previous year. In total these retailers donated £9.2 million to good causes. The total donation figures for each year are not directly comparable.

2.1 Amounts donated to good causes

Out of the total amount donated by retailers to good causes:

  • £2.8 million (30%) went to charity or volunteering sectors, environment and health
  • £4.5 million (49%) went to causes chosen by customers or staff
  • £1.9 million (21%) went to a combination of good causes (relating to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers/staff)

Figure 1: Amount donated by retailers to specific areas in 2019 to 2020 (£ million donated)

Cause Amount donated (£ donated)
Causes chosen by customers/staff £4.5 million
Charity or voluntary £2.6 million
Combined good causes (1) £1.9 million
Health £0.1 million
Environment £0.1 million

(1) Combined good causes - relating to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers/staff.

3. Types of good causes

Figure 2: Percentage of retailers donating to different types of good causes in 2019 to 2020

Cause Percentage of retailers donating
Charity or voluntary 50%
Combined good causes (1) 23%
Causes chosen by customers/staff 10%
Health 10%
Environment 6%

(1) Combined good causes - relating to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers/staff.

Figure 2, above, shows the types of good causes to which retailers donated in 2019 to 2020. This chart only covers the 78 retailers who provided this information, and includes six of the seven main retailers:

  • charity/volunteering was the most popular choice with 50% of retailers donating to these
  • 23% of retailers chose to donate to combined good causes relating to education, art, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity/volunteering and causes chosen by customers/staff
  • 10% of retailers donated to causes chosen by customers or staff

For the 2019 to 2020 period, the main retailers (Asda, The Co-operative Group, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose) sold 226 million single use plastic bags compared to 549 million sold in 2018 to 2019. This is a decrease of 322 million bags [footnote 3] (a 59% decrease).

All of the main retailers saw a reduction in the sale of single use bags. Asda and Tesco saw the largest reductions of 86.8 million (81%) and 79.6 million bags (65%) respectively. Marks and Spencer saw a decrease of 42.8 million (77%), Waitrose saw a decrease of 41.2 million (82%), The Co-operative Group saw a decrease of 33.4 million (35%), Waitrose saw a decrease of 41.2 million (82%), Sainsbury’s saw a decrease of 29.1 million (54%) and Morrisons saw a decrease of 9.6 million (15%).

WRAP reported in 2014 that the main retailers circulated 7.64 billion single use carrier bags in England. See WRAP’s data for England in 2014, covering 6 of the 7 retailers. Defra’s data for the year April 2019 to April 2020 shows that the main retailers sold 226 million single use carrier bags, a reduction of over 95% on the number of carrier bags since the charge was introduced. This is equivalent to each person in the population using 4 bags per year during 2019 to 2020 compared to 10 during 2018 to 2019 and 140 in 2014 before the charge was introduced.

The total number of single use plastic carrier bags reported by all retailers was 564 million in 2019 to 2020 compared with 1.11 billion by all retailers who reported in 2018 to 2019. This is a decline of 49%. In 2019 to 2020, a small number of retailers (4) have reported data on a voluntary basis. These retailers account for less than 1% of all reported bags.

There are 182 retailers who reported data for both 2019 to 2020 and 2018 to 2019. These retailers accounted for more than 95% of the total single use carrier bags sold in both years, so the slight change in retailers reporting over the two years does not have a significant impact on the aggregate figures.

5. Retailers’ responsibilities

We rely on retailers who fall within the scope of the carrier bag charge to register and report their single use plastic carrier bag data.

Large retailers are required to charge a minimum of 5p per bag for carrier bags that are all of the following:

  • unused – it is new and has not already been used for sold goods to be taken away or delivered
  • plastic and up to 70 microns thick
  • has handles, an opening and isn’t sealed
  • sold by a large retailer who employs 250 or more full-time equivalent employees in total (not just in retail roles). It is possible that for some of these, the retail element may be a relatively small part of their business

Retailers are not required by law to report on carrier bag use if they:

  • do not distribute bags within the definition of single use plastic carrier bags (above)
  • only distribute paper bags and/or bags for life
  • are small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 250 full-time equivalent employees (as they are not required to charge for bags – although many do charge, and some have reported data this year on a voluntary basis)

Some bags are exempt from the charge, although retailers can choose to charge for them. These include plastic bags that are solely used to contain certain items, including uncooked meat, poultry and fish; unwrapped food for animal or human consumption; loose seeds; flowers; unwrapped blades; and prescription medicine. Retailers do not have to charge if the bag only contains these items, but have to charge if other items are added.

Read more about retailers’ responsibilities.

From 21 March 2020 retailers in England did not need to charge for bags used in online grocery deliveries. This change affects the last two weeks of the 2019 to 2020 reporting period

6. Notes on the data

The following retailers reported data on the number of single use plastic carrier bags sold:

  • 194 retailers in 2019 to 2020 (4 retailers reported data on a voluntary basis)
  • 221 retailers in 2018 to 2019 (6 retailers reported data on a voluntary[footnote 4] basis)
  • 249 retailers in 2017 to 2018
  • 261 retailers in 2016 to 2017
  • 285 retailers in 2015 to 2016 (six months’ data)

182 retailers reported data in both 2019 to 2020 and 2018 to 2019, and for both years these accounted for over 95% of all single use carrier bags sold so the slight change in retailers reporting does not have a significant impact on trends for the aggregate figures.

For the 2019 to 2020 reporting year:

  • 12 retailers provided data in 2019 to 2020 who had not in 2018 to 2019, 7 of these have provided data for the first time. These retailers account for 0.3% of the total number of single use bags reported for 2019 to 2020
  • 39 retailers who submitted data for 2018 to 2019 did not report data for 2019 to 2020. In 2018 to 2019 these retailers accounted for less than 5% of the total number of single use bags
  • 11 of the retailers not reporting in 2019 to 2020 notified us that they have stopped issuing single use plastic carrier bags and are therefore are no longer obligated to report data
  • 2 of the retailers not reporting in 2019 to 2020 notified us that they have stopped operating in the last 12 months, so although they may have issued some carrier bags in this reporting period, it was not possible to obtain their data
  • 1 of the retailers not reporting in 2019 to 2020 informed us that they are not obligated to complete a return as they have fewer than 250 employees (and are now not reporting)
  • 3 of the retailers not reporting in 2019 to 2020 notified us that they would not be able to provide the data due to staff being furloughed because of Covid-19
  • The remaining 22 retailers who did not report, did not notify us of the reason for not supplying the information

These retailers together sold 8 million bags in 2018 to 2019 (0.7% of total bags).

The data for the latest year 2019 to 2020 are not exactly comparable against the data from the previous year for 2018 to 2019, owing to slight differences in the list of retailers who provided data. However, this difference in the retailers reporting does not have a significant impact on the overall aggregate figures or the trend.

Retailers provide data on donations on a voluntary basis. Changes in retailers who reported information mean that direct comparison across years is not appropriate.

  • In 2019 to 2020, this data was provided by 78 retailers (40%). They accounted for 76% of all bags reported for 2019 to 2020. Sainsbury’s did not report, their donations for 2018 to 2019 were £2.2 million
  • In 2018 to 2019, this data was provided by 121 retailers (55%). They accounted for 57% of all bags reported for 2018 to 2019. The Co-operative Group and Waitrose did not report; their combined donations for 2017 to 2018 were £7.7 million
  • In 2017 to 2018 data on donations was provided by 153 (61%) retailers. They accounted for 77% of all bags reported for that period. Marks and Spencer did not report
  1. Number of single use carrier bags sold under the charge, gross proceeds, any costs incurred and the use of the net proceeds 

  2. Based on unrounded figures 

  3. Based on unrounded figures 

  4. Through quality assurance of the 2018/19 data, it seemed that respondents had not understood the basis for competing the mandatory/voluntary reporting field which was intended to capture whether they were obliged to report data. The criteria is mainly based on size. For around 20 retailers their mandatory/voluntary reporting field has been amended based on the number of employees they reported.