Ben’s Independent Grocer (B.I.G.) is today (October 1st) announcing it is becoming the first multi-site grocer in Malaysia to move to a 100% re-use bag environment and stopping providing single-use plastic bags to its customers.
The move is an important step of the premium supermarket’s pledge to reduce and eliminate single-use plastic as part of its “Plastics Free by 2023” initiative*.
The chain has been gradually building up to this move. Throughout 2020, B.I.G. has been rewarding 20 sen in Bites loyalty points to all customers who bring their own bag to take their groceries home. In recent weekends the chain has successfully trialled no-bag weekends. During 2020 over 42,000 B.I.G. re-use bags have been bought by customers as they change their behaviours to a more sustainable approach. Last month the B.I.G. RPET Pineapple bag was launched – the versatile bag is made from 100% recycled plastic.
“Our shoppers have been extremely supportive of our drive for change, and I congratulate them on making the shift to a far more sustainable way of taking their groceries home.” Mr. Geoff King, CEO of TFP Retail Sdn Bhd said. “Most of our B.I.G. customers have already converted and now every month we expect to save over 100,000 single-use plastic bags from going into landfills, or worse finding their way into our rivers and seas.”
*Under its “Plastics Free by 2023” mission, B.I.G. pledges to eliminate all single-use plastic it introduces into its retail operation. The mission was announced at the beginning of this year and B.I.G. has been introducing a number of other eco-friendly initiatives in addition to the elimination of single-use plastic bags. BIG also has a long-standing relationship with The Lost Food Project to reduce its Food Waste and instead supply much needed product to help feed the needy in KL and Johor.
B.I.G. is a wholly owned trading brand of The Food Purveyor (TFP Retail Sdn Bhd). There are 6 trading B.I.G. Stores, the first in Publika Shopping Gallery opened in 2011. The other stores located in the Klang Valley are Plaza Batai, Ikano Power Center and The Linc KL, whereas B.I.G. in Johor Bahru is located in Mall of Medini and Toppen Shopping Centre. TFP also owns Village Grocer and OTK grocery brands.
For more information on Ben’s Independent Grocer, visit www.big.com.my , on Facebook (bensindependentgrocer) and Instagram (@bensindependentgrocer).