Research and analysis

Single-use plastic carrier bags charge: data for England 2020 to 2021

Updated 19 September 2024

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carrier-bag-charge-summary-of-data-in-england/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-charge-data-for-england-2020-to-2021

Since 5 October 2015, large retailers (250 or more employees) in England have been required by law to charge 5p [footnote 1] for all single use plastic carrier bags. They are required by law to report certain information [footnote 2] to Defra and provide information on donations on a voluntary basis.

This publication summarises data collected by Defra for the reporting year from 7 April 2020 to 6 April 2021. We have previously published summaries for earlier years and published the full datasets on data.gov.uk. This includes the details provided by each retailer.

It is important to note that this data cannot be directly compared with that of previous years, due to unique circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of the unprecedented pressure faced by supermarkets at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and to safeguard the health and safety of delivery drivers and the general public, the legal obligation for retailers to charge for single use plastic carrier bags supplied with online grocery deliveries was removed from 21 March 2020 to 21 September 2020.

During this exemption period, the reporting requirements for large retailers on the number of single use carrier bags (online grocery deliveries) used was also removed.

Non-essential retailers were also closed at various points [footnote 3] throughout the reporting period, which will have impacted shopping habits.

These changes will have impacted on the reported number of single use plastic carrier bags, although the scale of the impact is not known. As a result, the data reported from April 2020 to April 2021 cannot be directly compared with data from previous years.

The summary for 2020 to 2021 is based on data from 166 retailers. There are 156 retailers who reported data for both 2020 to 2021 and 2019 to 2020, and in both years these retailers accounted for more than 95% of the total single use plastic carrier bags reported.

1. Summary

The reported figures for the number of single use plastic carrier bags distributed are shown below. Unlike previous years, the 2020 to 2021 period also shows separate, voluntary data on the number of single use plastic carrier bags provided during the exemption period. Those figures (in the final row) are based on returns from only 4 retailers.

Table 1: key figures on the carrier bag charge [footnote 4]

2020 to 2021 2019 to 2020 (1) 2018 to 2019 (1) 2017 to 2018 2016 to 2017
Number of retailers reporting data 166 194 221 249 261
Total number of single use plastic bags sold (2) 488 million 629 million 1.13 billion 1.75 billion 2.12 billion
Number of single use plastic bags sold by the main retailers 294 million 271 million 566 million 1.04 billion 1.33 billion
Number of single use plastic bags sold by all retailers reporting, per person of the population 9 11 20 32 38
Number of single use plastic bags sold by the main retailers, per person of the population 5 5 10 19 24
Number of retailers supplying voluntary information about donations to good causes (read note 3) 63 78 121 153 167
Total amount donated to good causes (4) £10.9 million £9.2 million £22.9 million £51.6 million £65.4 million
Estimated number of online grocery single use carrier bags given out (without charge) during exemption period. (Figures provided by 4 retailers only) (5) 286 million        

Notes about Table 1

  1. Data for 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 has been updated to incorporate sales of single use plastic compostable bags for a small number of retailers. Incorporating the sales of these single use plastic compostable bags has increased the number of bags from 564 million to 629 million for 2019 to 2020 and from 1.11 billion to 2.13 billion for 2018 to 2019. The data presented in this summary for 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 will not match those published previously
  2. A small number of retailers reported data on a voluntary basis (such as, those with less than 250 employees). These retailers account for less than 1% of all reported bags.
  3. The headline figures on donations are not directly comparable between years due to changes in the retailers providing this information. At the time of reporting, some retailers did not have final figures for donations.
  4. Only 4 retailers provided estimates for the number of online grocery single use bags that they distributed for free during the overlap between the exemption period and the 2020 to 2021 reporting period. These 4 retailers estimated that they distributed 286 million online grocery bags (without charge) during the exemption period. These 4 retailers account for 36% of the total number of single use plastic bags sold in 2020 to 2021.

1.1 The main retailers

The main retailers are Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, The Co-operative Group, Tesco and Waitrose. They sold 294 million single use plastic carrier bags in England in 2020 to 2021. In 2019 to 2020 they sold 271 million single use plastic carrier bags.

These retailers account for around 60% of the total bags reported by all retailers for 2020 to 2021. In 2019 to 2020, they accounted for around 40% of bags. In 2018 to 2019 they accounted for 50% of total bags and in earlier years they have accounted for around 60%.

This is equivalent to each person in the population purchasing 5 single-use plastic carrier bags (from the main retailers) in 2020 to 2021.

The total number of single use plastic bags sold by all retailers who reported in 2020 to 2021 was 488 million. In 2019 to 2020 they sold 629 million single use plastic bags. This figure of 488 million includes a small number of single use carrier bags (less than 1%) that were reported on a voluntary basis.

In terms of single use plastic carrier bags (from online grocery shopping) reported during the exemption period, only 4 retailers voluntarily provided estimates. These 4 retailers estimated that they distributed 286 million single use plastic carrier bags for free during the exemption period.

If these bags were to be included, then the total number of single use plastic carrier bags distributed by retailers who reported in 2020 to 2021 was 774 million.

2 of the 4 retailers who voluntarily provided estimates were main retailers, their estimated number of single use plastic carrier bags distributed for free during the exemption period was 193 million. If these bags were included, then the main retailers distributed 486 million single use plastic bags during 2020 to 2021.

In 2020 to 2021, 38% of retailers reported additional information on how they chose to donate proceeds from the carrier bag charge. These retailers donated £10.9 million to good causes.

2. Donations to good causes

In 2020 to 2021, 38% of retailers (who accounted for 82% of all bags reported for this period) voluntarily provided information on donations they had made to good causes. It excludes two of the main retailers who chose not to provide this information, who had reported donations of £0.9 million in the previous year.

In total these retailers donated £10.9 million to good causes. The total donation figures for each year are not directly comparable.

2.1 Amounts donated to good causes

Out of the total amount donated by retailers to good causes:

  • £0.1 million (1%) went to health, environment and heritage
  • £0.3 million (3%) went to charity or volunteering sectors
  • £3.0 million (27%) went to causes chosen by customers or staff
  • £7.5 million (69%) went to a combination of good causes (relating to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers or staff)

Figure 1: amount donated by retailers to specific areas in 2020 to 2021 (millions of pounds donated)

Type of good causes Amount donated
Combined good causes (1) £7.5 million
Causes chosen by customers or staff £3 million
Charities or volunteering organisations £0.3 million
Health, environmental or heritage (2) £0.1 million

(1) Combined good causes means that they are related to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers or staff.

(2) Health, environmental or heritage means that it includes those that donated to health, environment, heritage or a combination of these causes.

2.2 Types of good causes

Figure 2: Percentage of retailers donating to different types of good causes in 2020 to 2021

Type of good causes Percentage of retailers donating to different types of good causes
Combined good causes 17%
Causes chosen by customers or staff 16%
Charity or volunteering organisations 40%
Health, environmental or heritage 27%

(1) Combined good causes means that they are related to education, arts, heritage, sports, environment, health, charity or volunteering sectors, causes chosen by customers or staff.

(2) Health, environmental or heritage means that it includes those that donated to health, environment, heritage or a combination of these causes.

Figure 2, shows the types of good causes to which retailers donated in 2020 to 2021. This chart only covers the 63 retailers who provided this information, and includes five of the seven main retailers:

  • charities or volunteering organisations was the most popular choice with 40% of retailers donating to these
  • 27% of retailers donated to health, environment and heritage causes
  • 17% of retailers chose to donate to combined good causes relating to education, art, heritage, sports, environment, health, charities and volunteering organisations and causes chosen by customers or staff
  • 16% of retailers donated to causes chosen by customers or staff

3. Carrier bag use

For the 2020 to 2021 period, the main retailers (Asda, The Cooperative Group, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose) sold 294 million single use plastic bags, this is equivalent to each person in the England purchasing just over 5 bags per year.

In 2019 to 2020 they sold 271 million single use plastic carrier bags, This is equivalent to each person in England purchasing just under 5 bags per year.

Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose saw increases of 45 million, 39 million bags and 17 million bags, respectively. Tesco, Sainsbury's, Marks and Spencer and The Cooperative Group saw decreases of 30 million, 24 million, 12 million and 11 million bags, respectively.

The reasons behind this increase in bag sales are complex, with COVID-19 impacting on the sales, as well as other factors.

While there was a temporary exemption granted for the charging and reporting of single use plastic carrier bags supplied with online grocery deliveries during the pandemic, retailers were still able to voluntarily report on carrier bag usage during this period.

Only 4 retailers voluntarily reported this information and of these 4, only 2 were main retailers.

These 4 retailers together voluntarily reported that a total of 286 million single use carrier were given out without charge during the exemption period. This does, however, only include data where the exemption period overlapped with the reporting period (7 April 2020 to 21 September 2020).

With more people staying at home under the COVID-19 lockdown measures, there was an increased demand for online groceries. This meant there was less opportunities for people to bring an alternative bag with them when went shopping compared with times before the COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Furthermore, some of the main retailers continued to offer single use plastic carrier bags with online deliveries after the exemption period, where they had previously stopped.

The total number of single use plastic carrier bags sold by all retailers was 488 million in 2020 to 2021. With the inclusion of those single use carrier bags given out by the 4 retailers during the exemption period, the total number of single use plastic carrier bags reported in 2020 to 2021 was 774 million.

In 2019 to 2020 they sold 629 million single use plastic bags. In 2020 to 2021, a small number of retailers (5) have reported data on a voluntary basis. These retailers account for less than 1% of all reported bags.

4. Retailers' responsibilities

We rely on retailers who fall within the scope of the carrier bag charge to register and report their single use plastic carrier bag data.

For the 2020 to 2021 reporting year, large retailers were required to charge a minimum of 5p per bag for carrier bags that are all of the following:

  • unused - it is new and has not already been used for sold goods to be taken away or delivered
  • plastic and up to 70 microns thick
  • has handles, an opening and is not sealed
  • sold by a large retailer who employs 250 or more full-time equivalent employees in total (not just in retail roles). It is possible that for some of these, the retail element may be a relatively small part of their business

Retailers are not required by law to report on carrier bag use if they:

  • do not distribute bags within the definition of single use plastic carrier bags
  • only distribute paper bags and/or bags for life
  • are small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 250 full-time equivalent employees (as they are not required to charge for bags – although many do charge, and some have reported data this year on a voluntary basis)

Some bags are exempt from the charge, although retailers can choose to charge for them. These include plastic bags that are solely used to contain certain items, including:

  • uncooked meat, poultry and fish
  • unwrapped food for animal or human consumption
  • loose seeds
  • flowers
  • unwrapped blades
  • prescription medicine

Retailers do not have to charge if the bag only contains these items but have to charge if other items are added.

Read more about retailers' responsibilities on GOV.UK.

The legal obligation for retailers to charge for, and report the number of, single use plastic carrier bags supplied with online deliveries (online grocery delivery bags) was temporarily removed from 21 March 2020 to 21 September 2020.

5. Notes on the data

The following retailers reported data on the number of single use plastic carrier bags sold:

  • 166 retailers in 2020 to 2021 (5 retailers reported data on a voluntary basis)
  • 194 retailers in 2019 to 2020 (4 retailers reported data on a voluntary basis)
  • 221 retailers in 2018 to 2019 (6 retailers reported data on a voluntary basis) [footnote 5]
  • 249 retailers in 2017 to 2018
  • 261 retailers in 2016 to 2017
  • 285 retailers in 2015 to 2016 (six months' data)

156 retailers reported data in both 2020 to 2021 and 2019 to 2020, and for both years these accounted for over 95% of all single use carrier bags sold. Therefore, this difference in the retailers reporting in each year does not have a significant impact on the data.

For the 2020 to 2021 reporting year:

  • 10 retailers provided data in 2020 to 2021 who had not in 2019 to 2020, 2 of these have provided data for the first time. These retailers account for 0.2% of the total number of single use bags reported for 2020 to 2021 [footnote 6]
  • 38 retailers who submitted data for 2019 to 2020 did not report data for 2020 to 2021. In 2019 to 2020 these retailers accounted for 4% of the total number of single use bags
  • 15 of the retailers not reporting in 2020 to 2021 notified us that they have stopped issuing single use plastic carrier bags and are therefore no longer obligated to report data
  • 4 of the retailers not reporting in 2020 to 2021 notified us that they have stopped operating in the last 12 months, so although they may have issued some carrier bags in this reporting period, it was not possible to obtain their data. One of these retailers is now trading under another name and they have reported under this new name
  • 1 of the retailers not reporting in 2020 to 2021 informed us that they are not obligated to complete a return as they have fewer than 250 employees (and are now not reporting)
  • the remaining 18 retailers who did not report, did not notify us of the reason for not supplying the information. These retailers together sold 8.9 million bags in 2019 to 2020 (1.4% of total bags)

The data for the latest year 2020 to 2021 is not directly comparable with the data from 2019 to 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . As it is likely that it had an impact on the sales of single use plastic bags. There was also slight differences in the list of retailers who provided data.

Retailers provide data on donations on a voluntary basis. Changes in retailers who reported information mean that direct comparison across years is not appropriate.

  • In 2020 to 2021, this data was provided by 63 retailers (38% of retailers who reported. They accounted for 82% of all bags reported for 2020 to 2021. Marks and Spencer and Waitrose did not report; their combined donations for 2019 to 2020 were £0.9 million
  • In 2019 to 2020, this data was provided by 78 retailers (40% of retailers who reported). They accounted for 78% of all bags reported for 2019 to 2020. Sainsbury's did not report, their donations for 2018 to 2019 were £2.2 million
  • In 2018 to 2019, this data was provided by 121 retailers (55% of retailers who reported). They accounted for 57% of all bags reported for 2018 to 2019. The Co-operative Group and Waitrose did not report; their combined donations for 2017 to 2018 were £7.7 million
  • In 2017 to 2018 data on donations was provided by 153 retailers (61% of retailers who reported). They accounted for 77% of all bags reported for that period. Marks and Spencer did not report

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  1. To note, from 21 May 2021, the charge for single use plastic carrier bags was raised to 10p and extended to all businesses, though the reporting requirements continue to apply to large retailers only. ↩

  2. Number of single use carrier bags sold under the charge, gross proceeds, any costs incurred and the use of the net proceeds. ↩

  3. 23 March to 14 June 2020, 5 November to 1 December 2020 and 6 January 2021 to 11 April 2021. ↩

  4. Data for 2015 to 2016 covered 6 months (5 October 2015 to 6 April 2016) and is not directly comparable. The results from 2015 to 2016 are: 285 retailers reported, 1.1 billion single use bags were sold, 0.6 billion single use bags were sold by the main retailers and £29.2 million was donated to good causes. ↩

  5. Through quality assurance of the 2018 to 2019 data, it seemed that respondents had not understood the basis for completing the mandatory and voluntary reporting field which was intended to capture whether they were obliged to report data. The criteria is mainly based on size. For around 20 retailers their mandatory and voluntary reporting field has been amended based on the number of employees they reported. ↩

  6. This includes one retailer who went into administration and is now trading under a new name. ↩

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