Reusable Bag Study

Edelman Berland:
Reusable Bag Study
May 2014

Methodology
2
Audience: Consumers who have received/purchased reusable
bags in the past year
Qualification Rate: From a national sample of 3,568 individuals, 2,566
terminated due to not having acquired a reusable bag
in the past year, resulting in a 28% incidence rate.
Sample Size: 1,002 National
MOE: ± 3.1%
Methodology: Online Survey
Timing: February 28 – March 7, 2014

Key Findings
• Our calculation indicates that non-woven polypropylene (NWPP) bags used for grocery
shopping are each used approximately 15 times.
– Additionally, many of these bags are infrequently or never cleaned.
• NWPP bags are forgotten on approximately 40% of grocery trips, leading many bag owners to
use plastic bags.
– Many NWPP bags are also used for other purposes, such as transporting items or storing items at
home.
• Low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags are reused by a much smaller percentage of the
population for groceries and have a reuse frequency of approximately 3 times.
3

The following process was used to compute the average number of bag
reuses per year.
Corrections/Exclusions
One outlier bag usage recoded to equal total number of bags (from
65 to 6), and individuals who do not own NWPP bags were
removed.
Those who do not own any NWPP bags that they use for groceries
were excluded (n=135).
Calculate Grocery
Trips Per Week
Based on trips in the
past week. Value is
capped at 7. Those
who did not report a
grocery shopping trip
in the last week are
assigned a value of 0.5.
Calculate NWPP
Bags Used Per Trip
Based on number of
NWPP bags at last trip.
Those who did not use
a NWPP bag were
assigned a value equal
to the population
median (1).
Calculate Freq. of
NWPP Use
Number of times in the
last 10 grocery trips a
person remembered to
bring NWPP bags,
divided by 10 so as to
be expressed as a
percentage.
Calculate NWPP
Bag Replacements
Values assigned based
on the frequency of
bag replacement.
Those who “never”
replace are assigned a
value equal to the bags
received in past year.
Calculate NWPP
Reuses
Divide the number of
bags used per year by
the replacement value
to arrive at the median
number of NWPP bag
reuses per person.
5
Assuming the number of shopping trips made in the last week and the number of
NWPP bags used in that trip are both typical and can be extrapolated to a full year…

First, the average number of bag reuses per year was calculated based on
grocery trips per week, NWPP bags used per trip and the frequency with
which NWPP bags are use for grocery trips.
6
NWPPR = NWPP bag reuses
52 = Number of weeks in a year
GTRIPSPW = Average grocery trips per week
NWPPPT = NWPP bags used per grocery trip
NWPPFREQ = Frequency of bringing NWPP bags on grocery trips
Among Consumers who Received/Purchased a Reusable Bag in Past Year
(52 x GTRIPSPW x NWPPPT x NWPPFREQ)NWPPR =
The following formula was applied at the individual level in the data set
to determine the average reuse rate per respondent

This value was then adjusted to account for the number of bags a person
cycles through per year. This value (U1) was assigned as follows:
7
44%
24%
20%
4%
5%
4%
Never
Once a year
A few times a year
Once a month
Once every few weeks
Once a week or more
*If respondents “never” replace their bags AND did not acquire at least one NWPP bag over the past year, they are
assigned an implied rotation rate value based on half the age (in years) of their oldest bag, based on a midpoint value.
Q27: And how often do you discard and replace your non-woven polypropylene bags that you use for groceries?
Value Assigned
52
17
12
3
1
# of NWPP bags
acquired in past year*
Frequency of NWPP Bag Replacement

Finally, the adjusted NWPP reuses per year was calculated using the
reduction factor identified by bag replacement.
8
15.0
NWPP Bag
Reuses
Among Consumers who Received/Purchased a Reusable Bag in Past Year
(52 x GTRIPSPW x NWPPPT x NWPPFREQ)
NWPPR =
U1
U1 = Number of NWPP bags a person cycles through annually

When one additional exclusion is made removing individuals who shop for
groceries at warehouse clubs (their use of NWPP bags does not offset the
use of plastic retail bags) the overall reuse rate declines slightly.
9
14.6
NWPP Bag
Reuses
Among Consumers who Received/Purchased a Reusable Bag in Past Year and Do
Not Shop at Warehouse Clubs
NWPPR =
U1
U1 = Number of NWPP bags a person cycles through annually

Additionally, when looking at individuals in markets where a plastic bag ban
is legislated versus those in markets where a ban is not legislated, those in
legislated markets tend to use their bags slightly more frequently.*
10
17.3
NWPP Bag
Reuses
Among Consumers who Received/Purchased a Reusable Bag in Past Year and Do Not Shop at Warehouse Clubs
NWPPR =
U1
The following formula was applied at the individual level in the data set to determine the average reuse rate
per respondent
* Note that legislated market results are based on a small sample size of 65 respondents compared to 733 in non-
legislated markets. Additional sample could further validate these results.
Legislated Markets
13.9
NWPP Bag
Reuses
Non-Legislated Markets

61%
22%
10% 6%
45%
41%
8%
3%
Non-woven polypropylene Plastic Paper Low density polyethylene
Preferred Bag Typically Used
Shopping Bag Preferences
Consumers who have purchased/received a reusable bag in the past year
generally prefer using NWPP bags, but are using plastic just as often.
Q16/17: What one type of bag do you typically use or ask for when grocery shopping?
Q18: And thinking about the different types of bags available to use or ask for when shopping, which one would you say
is your preferred bag?
Preferred Bag
12

37%
86%
86%
I'll only use resuable shopping bags if they're
free
Reusable shopping bags are sturdier than
other bags
Reusable shopping bags are more
environmentally friendly than other bags
These consumers are favorable toward reusable bags in general and believe
they are eco-friendly and sturdy.
13
Q37-40: How much do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
Reusable Bag Perceptions
(% Agree)

Those who prefer NWPP bags over other types of bags specifically cite
durability and environmental reasons for this preference.
14
Q19: For what reason is this your preferred bag?
Plastic (n=222) Non-Woven Polypropylene (n=607)

Plastic bag legislation has little impact on reported bag preferences.
65%
18%
11%
5%
60%
23%
10%
5%
Aware Not Aware
Preferred Bag By Legislation Awareness
Preferred Bag
15

NWPP preference declines slightly when there are a higher number of
grocery trips per week.
64%
18%
13%
3%
60%
23%
9% 6%
54%
22%
11% 12%
0-1 trips/week 2-4 trips/week 5+ trips/week
Preferred Bag By Number of Trips
Preferred Bag
Interestingly, LDPE preference
increases with the # of
grocery trips per week
16

And while NWPP is the preferred bag irrespective of store type, consumers
who shop big-box stores for groceries are more likely than others to prefer
plastic bags.
62%
21%
11%
5%
58%
28%
7% 6%
61%
14%
18%
8%
65%
12% 10% 10%
Supermarket Big-Box Warehouse Specialty
Preferred Bag By Preferred Store
Preferred Bag
17

Despite a high level of NWPP preference, many of these consumers are
using both NWPP AND plastic at the grocery store.
Type of Bag Used
9%
10%
17%
59%
61%
Box
Low density polyethylene
Paper
Non-woven polypropylene
Plastic
Average Number of Bags Used
19
Q13: Which of the following types of bags were used to pack your groceries during your most recent grocery trip?
Q14 And thinking about each of the different types of bags hat were used during this most recent grocery trip, how
many of each was used?
5.8
3.3
2.8
3.5
2.2

About half of consumers who are aware of some type of plastic bag
legislation in their area still used plastic at their most recent grocery
shopping trip.
Type of Bag Used By Legislation Awareness
48%
71%
25%
16%
65%
56%
15%
9%
Plastic Non-woven polypropylene Paper Low density polyethylene
Aware Not Aware
Type of Bag Used
20

And half those who prefer NWPP report having used plastic bags at their
most recent grocery shopping trip.
88%
30%
13%
7%
51%
76%
14%
8%
Prefer Plastic Prefer NWPP
Type of Bag Used By Bag Preference
Type of Bag Used
21

Plastic bag usage is highest among those who generally shop supermarkets
and big-box retailers.
61% 60%
17%
8%
72%
53%
13% 13%
36%
62%
20% 22%
35%
78%
33%
8%
Supermarket Big-Box Warehouse Specialty
Type of Bag Used By Preferred Store
Type of Bag Used
22

Non-Woven Polypropylene Bags
Ownership Summary

On average, consumers who have received/purchased a reusable bag AND
own at least one NWPP bag own 5.1 NWPP bags and use most for groceries.
Q22: Approximately how many non-woven polypropylene reusable shopping bags would you say you own in total?
Q23: And approximately how many of these non-woven polypropylene reusable shopping bags would you say you use for groceries?
Q24: Over the past year, how many non-woven polypropylene bags did you receive or purchase?
87%
use their NWPP
bags for groceries
Total NWPP bags
NWPP grocery bags
54%
acquired 3+ NWPP
bags in past year
5.1 Average NWPP Bags Owned
3.8 Average NWPP Bags Used for Groceries
24

These consumers remember their bags for about 60% of their grocery trips.
25
Q29: How often do you remember to bring your non-woven polypropylene bags into the tore with you when grocery
shopping?
Q30: Thinking about the last 10 grocery shopping trips you’ve taken, on how many occasions would you say you’ve used
a non-woven polypropylene bag to pack your purchases?
1%
7%
19%
43%
31%
Never
Not very often
Sometimes
Most of the time
Every time
How Often Do You Remember
Your NWPP Bags?
How Many Times Did You Use
NWPP Bags in Your Last 10 Trips?
6.4 trips

Those who own NWPP bags are using them for more than just groceries –
they also transport items when they visit family and friends, use them for
other shopping trips, etc.
26
Q31: Do you use non-woven polypropylene bags for any of the other items below?
64%
40%
36%
31%
Taking items when
visiting family /
friends
Other shopping trips Taking items with me
to work
Storing items around
the house
Other Uses for NWPP Bags

On average, these consumers’ oldest NWPP bag is around 2 years old, but
despite the age, many are not cleaning and disinfecting their bags.
27
Q25: Thinking about the non-woven polypropylene reusable bags you own and use for groceries, approximately how
long have you had your oldest one?
Q26: And thinking about your non-woven polypropylene reusable bags that you use for groceries, approximately how
often do you clean and disinfect them?
Q27: And how often do you discard and replace your non-woven polypropylene reusable bags that you use for
groceries?
2.0
Years old
28%
4%
15%
19%
19%
16%
Never
Once a year
A few times per year
Once a month
Once every few weeks
Once a week or more
Average Age of Oldest Bag How Often Do You Clean
Your NWPP Bags?

Cleanliness of NWPP Bags
28
Approximately 16.4 million
consumers in the U.S. are walking into
grocery stores each week with bags
that have NEVER been cleaned.
That’s more than the adult population
of New York.
CALCULATION:
240 million adults in the US
28% purchased/received a reusable bag in the past year (study incidence)
87% of study sample use NWPP bags for groceries
28% of these consumers NEVER clean their bags

One-third of consumers who purchased/received a bag in the past year got
an LDPE bag, most of whom reused that bag.
Q32: In the past 12 months, have you purchased or received one of these bags?
Q33: After purchasing this type of bag did you reuse it for any other purposes?
Yes, and reused
25%
Yes, but did not
reuse
8%
Did not receive
LDPE
68%
LDPE Bag Ownership
30

Those who reuse LDPE bags claim to reuse the bag for groceries more than
five times; however, to calculate the average number of reuses overall, we
assume that for each non-grocery reuse the bag is only used once.
31
Q33a: How did you reuse the low-density polyethylene bag that you purchased or received?
Q34: And approximately how many times did you reuse this bag for grocery shopping trips?
29%
32%
34%
39%
47%
51%
Other shopping trips
Taking items to work
Storing items
Grocery shopping
As a garbage bag
Taking items when visiting
friends
LDPE Bag Reuse Value Assigned
Reported # of grocery
reuses
1
1
1
1
1

By accounting for both grocery and non-grocery reuses, we calculate that
the average reuse rate for LDPE bags is approximately 3 times each.
32
Q33a: How did you reuse the low-density polyethylene bag that you purchased or received?
Q34: And approximately how many times did you reuse this bag for grocery shopping trips?
Average LDPE Reuses
3.1
Reuses
Among Consumers who Received/Purchased an LDPE Bag in Past Year

Reusable Bag Study

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