Consumer Behavior: Plastic Bag Bans and Environmental Concerns

This report analyzes consumer behavior in the context of plastic bag bans, highlighting the significant environmental impact of plastic bags, particularly on marine life and ecosystems. It examines governmental actions, such as Ireland's plastic bag tax, and supermarket initiatives, like Woolworths' ban. The report contrasts the approaches of different supermarkets, specifically focusing on Coles, which initially resisted the ban, and the environmentalist's concerns about the use of thick plastic bags. The report emphasizes the need for public awareness campaigns promoting the use of reusable bags to mitigate the negative consequences of plastic pollution. The report cites several sources to support the findings.

Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 1
Consumer Behavior
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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 2
Consumer Behavior
Plastic bags exhibit a significant impact on the environment. For instance, marine
animals including sea turtles succumb to death as a consequence of being suffocated by these
plastics while other mistakes them for food resulting in their death (New, 2019). For this reason,
various governments are taking significant measures to ban the use of plastic bags. In Ireland,
for example, any person caught using plastic bags is fined 20 cent tax resulting in a significant
decline in their utilization (New, 2019). Supermarkets too have not been left behind regarding
the plastic ban. For instance, Woolworths including other supermarkets in Australia have banned
the use of plastic bags in their endeavor to safeguard the environment from pollution and
degradation (Zhou, 2018). According to Stuart, Mayers, and Salmon (2018) point of view,
single-use plastic bags do not break down easily, and for this reason, they end up polluting the
beaches, rivers, and oceans.
However, Coles, one of the notable supermarkets is lagging behind in helping its
customers adapt to the plastic ban initiative and safeguard the environment from degradation. On
the contrary, the supermarket continues to hand out plastic bags without charging any fee
arguing that customer pressure and the need for adequate time for shoppers to adjust compelled it
to offer plastic bags for free(Holden, 2018; Hatch, 2018 ). In contrast, environmentalists consider
the use of Cole’s thick plastic bags to be quite dangerous to the environment if they find their
way to habitats and waterways (Brook, 2019). It is, thus, undeniable that plastic bags whether
reusable, recyclable or not exhibit dire consequences on the environment. It is, therefore, upon
governments to create awareness among the public on the importance of using their own bags
rather than depending on reusable plastic bags.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 3
References
Brook, B. (2019). Plastic bag ban: Many alternatives have huge environmental footprints.
Retrieved from,
https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/climate-change/plastic-bag-ban-
many-alternatives-have-huge-environmental-footprints/news-story/
2ea67901345f07b6515bcb71e20c708f
Hatch, P. (2018, August 2). Coles flips again on plastic bag ban, puts end date on freebies. The
Sydney Morning Herald, Retrieved from,
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/coles-flips-again-on-plastic-bag-ban-puts-
end-date-on-freebies-20180802-p4zv13.html
Holden, M.(2018, August 4). What is it about Coles customers and plastic bags. The Sydney
Morning Herald, Retrieved from, https://www.smh.com.au/national/what-is-it-about-
coles-customers-and-plastic-bags-20180803-p4zvdd.html
New, M. (2019). Why are plastic bags so bad for the environment?
https://www.livestrong.com/article/216666-why-are-plastic-bags-so-bad-for-the-
environment/
Stuart, R., Mayers, L., & Salmon, G.(2018, August 1). Coles backs down on plastic bag ban, will
hand out thicker bags as customers need more time. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-
08-01/coles-free-plastic-bags-continue-after-policy-backdown/10060066

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 4
Zhou, N.(2018, August 1). Woolworths sticks with plastic bag ban, despite Coles reversal. The
Guardian, Retrieved from, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/01/coles-
backflips-on-banning-free-plastic-bags