Swedes reject plastic bags – record low usage

Jul 2, 2025 - 04:00
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Swedes reject plastic bags – record low usage

Stockholm – 13 plastic bags per person – that’s how many bags Swedes took home their food in last year. This is the lowest figure since 2017 and represents a decrease of 66 plastic bags per person.

It is also a slight decrease compared to 2023, according to new figures from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.

The decrease means that Sweden is well on track to meet the EU’s goal of reducing consumption to 40 bags per person by 2025.

Even the use of thicker plastic bags in clothing stores is down to record low levels: 8 million pieces in 2022, which is the lowest figure since the Environmental Protection Agency began publishing its statistics in 2017.

However, overall, the number of plastic bags is increasing, which is due to the fact that the use of thin fruit bags has doubled since 2023.

The figures have not yet been affected by the abolition of the Swedish tax on plastic carrier bags in November 2024. The tax was introduced in the spring of 2020 and involved a surcharge of three kronor per bag.

(July 1)