7-Eleven's parent company to ban plastic bags

Seven & i Holdings will stop giving customers disposable plastic shopping bags by 2030.

The Japan-based parent company of 7-Eleven Inc. is making the move as part of its plan to reduce plastic waste, according to NHK World Japan.

The disposable plastic bags will be replaced by paper or other plant-based bags. In addition, the retailer plans to reduce its plastic use from the current level by more than half by 2030, and to zero by 2050, by using paper and recycled material for food packaging, the report added.

According to the company's website, Seven & i Group promotes the reduced use of disposable plastic bags by asking customers whether they need a bag at the register, displaying posters and point-of-purchase signs, and holding events to encourage customers to bring their own shopping bags when shopping at stores.

In addition, its superstore banner Ito-Yokado Co. Ltd. has already discontinued the free distribution of plastic bags on the food floors of all its stores. Its supermarket banner York-Benimaru Co. Ltd. has followed suit at around 90 percent of its stores.

Its convenience store banner, Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd. is working to introduce biomass polyethylene shopping bags.

Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings is a group companies centering on a wide variety of business operations, including convenience stores, superstores, department stores, supermarkets, specialty stores and food services.

Its subsidiary, Irving-based 7-Eleven Inc., operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 67,000 stores in 17 countries, including 11,800 in North America.