Customer with M&S Carrier Bag

The new paper carrier bags could replace the current plastic ones

M&S Food has begun testing paper bags in selected stores across the country to “gauge customer demand” for plastic-free reusable carrier bags, The Grocer can reveal.

The supermarket is trialling paper bags in 10 stores over the next month, including Maidstone, Hedge End, Bluewater, Kings Road, Hackney, Nottingham, Newcastle, Vanguard, Rochdale and Falkirk stores.

Each paper carrier bag, which is able to hold 15kg, has been independently developed and tested to ensure strength and durability.

M&S Food technical director Andrew Clappen said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to reuse carrier bags and offer them durable options that work for them.

“This trial is part of our test and learn approach to finding the best sustainable carrier bags for customers that they can – and want to – keep using again and again.”

The trial is still in its early stages, but if it proves successful it could result in M&S rolling out the plastic-free alternative to stores across the country.

It follows a similar move from Morrisons, which first introduced reusable and recyclable paper carrier bags in Welsh stores last year in a bid to ”remove unneccessary plastic” from its stores.

It has since been phasing out plastic carrier bags, including bags for life, from its shops across the UK.