Italy: consumer behavior after plastic bags ban in 2018, by gender

Since January 2018, in Italy biodegradable and compostable bags used mainly to pack fruit and vegetables are no longer available for free in supermarkets. Italian consumers have reacted differently to this new regulation, with interesting differences by gender. 58 percent of men and 55 percent of women purchased the products they needed nevertheless, while 12 percent of male consumers and only five percent of female consumers bought less fruit and vegetables. Lastly, 18 percent of men and 22 percent of women now preferred to go to the greengrocer’s instead of the supermarket.

Plastic bags across European countries

  Because of the ban on free bags, Italian consumers must now pay for their plastic bags, even if biodegradable. They might then decrease their use of plastic bags and follow the example of consumers in Denmark. According to a 2018 poll, 34 percent of Danish customers never buys plastic bags from the supermarket, while 27 percent tends to reuse the bag at least five times before throwing it away. Furthermore, the results of a survey conducted in March 2018 in the Netherlands showed that half of the consumers did not miss plastic bags at all.

Alternatives to plastic bags

  Alternatives to plastic bags in food shopping are many. For instance, in Germany consumers often use their own baskets, backpacks or fabric bags.