Stew Leonard’s stays ahead of the green curve with the same old bag.
Since the grocer of Norwalk began offering reusable canvas bags last year, the stores’ overall plastic bag use is down 15 percent.
To date, more than 80,000 reusable bags have been sold, with sales up 300 percent against last year.
In an effort to continue the trend, Stew’s youngest daughter, 13-year-old Madison Leonard, surveyed more than 600 customers about what they wanted in a reusable shopping bag, including what materials and designs appealed to them.
“Overall, customers told us they wanted a fun design,” said Stew Leonard Jr. “Their favorite was actually the cow print bag, which is ironic, because it was the one design my grandfather originally told me to take out of the survey. Good thing we listen to our customers.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American household uses approximately 900 plastic bags per year.
“At Stew Leonard’s, we pride ourselves on listening to our customers,” said Leonard Jr. “We hope that by providing functional reusable bags in a choice of fun, colorful designs, customers will be more likely to use them in place of plastic and remember to bring them in every time they shop. We can all make a difference by reducing our use of plastic, one bag at a time.”
According to Leonard, between all four Stew Leonard’s stores, the company uses 18 million plastic bags a year. Since January, Stew Leonard’s has recycled close to 50,000 pounds of plastic, which translates to about 2.6 million plastic bags.
The new bags debuted Nov. 1, available in three designs selected by the customers. The bags are made from more than 50 percent recycled materials; the inside core is made from recycled plastic bottles. The bags are the size of a standard paper bag, but according to Stew”™s can hold up to 40 pounds and be reused numerous times.
The bags will be sold for $1.29 each, with customers who spend $200 or more receiving a free bag with their purchase.
