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A Tesco's spokesperson said the company did not profit from money retained for administration

Tesco criticised for deducting £3.4m from plastic bag tax charity donations

Millions of pounds in administration costs were deducted from the charitable donations made by Tesco using funds generated from the plastic bag tax, government data has revealed. No other major supermarket made any such deductions, leading senior MPs to urge Tesco to follow their lead.

Surfdome's head of sustainability Adam Hall is among the expert speakers that will appear on stage at edie's Responsible Retail conference in September

Plastic packaging: Are retailers ready to face the elephant in the room?

Britain's retailers must address "the elephant in the room" that is the use of polyethene plastic for the delivery of products to and from stores, the head of sustainability at outdoor clothing company Surfdome has told edie.

Online customers will still be able to opt for single-use carrier bags for their shopping or select a bagless delivery, which the majority of online shoppers are now doing

Tesco to scrap single-use carrier bags in favour of 'bag for life'

The UK's largest supermarket group is replacing all of its 5p single-use carrier bags – which it sold more than 600 million of last year – with a new 10p 'bag for life' made from 94% recycled plastic.

England bowlers Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad are supporting the Sky Ocean Rescue initiative, which is encouraging consumers to reduce the use of single-use plastics

Sky partners with Oval cricket ground to raise awareness of ocean plastic pollution

Broadcasting company Sky is taking its Ocean Rescue sustainability campaign to the world of cricket by forming a partnership with the Kia Oval stadium, which will see refillable water bottles handed out to fans during England's match against South Africa this week.

England's seven major retailers sold six billion fewer single-use plastic bags in 2016-17 compared with 2014-15 - an 83% drop in usage

Plastic bag charge: 10 fascinating facts about the scheme's sustainability success

With new Government figures revealing an 83% reduction in single-use carrier bag sales since the instruction of a 5p charge in England, edie delves deep into the data to bring you 10 facts and statistics that you probably didn't know about the scheme and its effects.

Select Tesco stores will sell only reusable bags in a 10-week trial that could lead to the single-use bags being phased out in all of its stores

Tesco to trial a phase-out of single-use 5p plastic bags

Shoppers at a handful of Tesco stores in the UK will no longer be able to buy 5p "single-use" plastic carrier bags, in the first such trial by a supermarket.

A capitalist agenda based on unbound profitability is being challenged by a new wave of economies focused on sustainable and responsible growth

Sustainability megatrends: Realising the business case for sustainable economic growth

edie's series of exclusive thought-leadership articles on the global impact of megatrends culminates with New Climate Economy's programme director Helen Mountford exploring how businesses and governments are developing more sustainable models of economic growth that are fit for the future.

10 top tips to drive engagement with your CSR report

What are the key components required to produce a sustainability report which drives engagement on a range of CSR issues among key stakeholders? edie brings you the secrets to sustainability reporting success with this latest top-tips guide for businesses.

In the UK, the number of plastic shopping bags handed out by retailers in England dropped from seven billion to just over half a billion within six months after the 5p charge was created

Plastic bag take-back: the next step towards a circular economy?

Plastic bag use is expected to fall significantly in Sweden after an innovative take-back trial conducted by Nottingham Trent University led to an 80% drop in consumer usage.

There are estimated to be 5tn pieces of plastic floating in the world’s seas

Tesco and Sainsbury's ban plastic cotton buds to cut waste

The UK's two largest supermarket chains have committed to end the sale of cotton buds with plastic stems, which are the most common litter from toilets flushed on to the country's beaches.

It emerged earlier this year that only one in 400 coffee cups are recycled because they are made of a difficult to recycle mix of paper and plastic

Ministers reject calls for charge on UK's disposable coffee cups

Ministers have rejected calls for a charge on the 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups thrown away each year because they believe coffee shop chains are already taking enough action to cut down waste.

Research has revealed that the overwhelming majority of the English population now carry their own bags when food shopping following the charge roll-out

Tesco's single-use carrier bag numbers drop by 1.5 billion

On the first anniversary of the carrier bag charge roll-out, UK supermarket giant Tesco has revealed that more than 1.5 billion single-use carrier bags have been saved by its customers in England since the levy's introduction.

The research shows a growth from 51% to 62% in support in England for the carrier bag charge since it was introduced

England sees surge in shoppers using their own carrier bags

The overwhelming majority of the English population now carry their own bags when food shopping following the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge a year ago, new research has revealed.

The number of plastic shopping bags handed out by retailers in England has dropped from seven billion to just over half a billion within six months

Lidl pledges to remove single-use plastic carrier bags

German discount supermarket chain Lidl UK has today (28 September) pledged to remove single-use plastic carrier bags from sale across all stores in England, Scotland and Wales.

More than a million people are expected to visit Notting Hill Carnival over the Bank Holiday weekend. Photo: Notting Hill Carnival/Facebook

Carnival clean-up: Notting Hill waste to generate 100MWh of electricity

Westminster City Council is planning to collect all of the waste from Notting Hill Carnival and use it to generate electricity for the National Grid - all in time to have the streets clean for the Tuesday morning commute.

Tesco sold close to 319.7 million single-use plastic bags between October 2015 and April 2016 – around the same as the other six major retailers combined

Carrier bag data reveals varying approaches to CSR among Britain's supermarkets

With new Defra figures revealing that the 5p plastic bag charge has led to a huge decline in the number of bags being handed out by retailers in England, a closer look at the data reveals a significant difference in the way the charge is now being managed by the country's biggest supermarkets.

Tesco has developed its own circular economy solution to turn its back-of-store plastic waste into plastic bags

Carrier bag charge sees usage plummet by 6.5 billion

The number of plastic shopping bags handed out by retailers in England has dropped from seven billion to just over half a billion within six months, following the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge last October.

Asda, like other large retailers, is now required by law to charge a minimum of 5p for every carrier bag used by a customer in England, Scotland and Wales

Asda passes £1m carrier bag charge profits onto social enterprises

Asda will be investing £1.1m from its carrier bag charge into programmes aimed at developing social enterprises across Scotland and Wales.

Lidl has pledged to donate at least £1m over a 12 month period, with proceeds going to CLIC Sargent, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy

Lidl uses plastic bag charge to help Keep Britain Tidy

German discount supermarket chain Lidl has today (19 February) pledged to donate a minimum of £1m raised from its 5p plastic bag charge to charity, in a bid to educate children on litter prevention.

The high street chain is avoiding the 5p plastic carrier bag levy by offering handleless bags to customers free of charge

Card Factory defends plastic bag tax avoidance

Greetings cards retailer Card Factory has fended off criticism of it's decision to sell plastic bags without handles as a way of avoiding the 5p carrier bag charge.

The drop in bag use by Tesco customers in store is almost 10% higher than Tesco predicted

Plastic bag use in Tesco's slashed by nearly 80% with new charge

Tesco store customers used 78% fewer single-use plastic bags in the month since the introduction of the 5p bag charge in England.

The 5p charge has been introduced by the Government and aims to reduce the 7.64bn carrier bags that end up in landfill

5p plastic bag charge launches in England

England will today (5 October) follow in the footsteps of the rest of the UK by introducing a 5p plastic bag tax for large retailers.

The 5p plastic bag levy will be introduced nationwide by the Government and will be compulsory for businesses that employ the equivalent of 250 or more full-time employees

Sustainability stats: Plastic bag charge in numbers

From Monday (5 October), England will officially adopt the levy currently used by the rest of the UK which charges consumers for the use of single-use carrier bags in shops and supermarkets.

Currently, 86% of single-use carrier bags end up in landfill. The 5p charges aim to reduce this amount and promote 'bags for life'

Plastic bag use in Wales down 71% since 5p charge

The number of single-use carrier bags (SUCBs) has fallen by over 70% in Wales since a 5p charge was introduced, a new report has found, just weeks before the scheme is launched in England.

Majority of Brits believe all plastic bags should be biodegradable

The majority of Britons believe all plastic bags should be both recyclable and biodegradable, according to a new YouGov poll.

6,000 volunteers cleared 180,000 pieces of litter from British beaches

M&S helps to clear 180,000 pieces of beach litter

Staff and customers from Marks and Spencer (M&S) and volunteers from the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) removed more than 180,000 items of rubbish from Britain's beaches during the Big Beach Clean-up in May.

Overall plastic bag use in the UK has increased 2.4% from 2013-14

UK plastic bag use up again, but single-use charges cut Scottish consumption

Plastic bag use in the UK has increased for the fifth year running, with almost nine billion bags used collectively in 2014, according to data released today (24 July).

So far, the scheme has reprocessed 1,000 tonnes of plastic bags, turning them into 500,000 refuse sacks

Veolia closes the loop on Southwark's plastic bags

Previously unrecycled plastic bags are being turned into refuse sacks thanks to an innovative new process from waste-disposal firm Veolia.

The Adidas concept shoe's upper is made entirely from reclaimed ocean plastics

Adidas showcases shoe made from ocean plastics

Clothing manufacturer Adidas has celebrated its partnership with Parley for the Oceans by creating a prototype shoe made from recycled ocean waste and deep-sea gillnets.

The green gains means the company has already reached 2015 targets on water and waste, while it remains on track to cut emissions by 30% next year

Adidas slashes environmental impact with innovation

Sporting giant Adidas has released its 2014 Sustainability Progress report, revealing more than 20% cuts in emissions, water use and waste over the last six years.

Doing Business with Nature: Opportunities from Natural Capital

This report highlights examples of the challenges around water, biodiversity and soil but more importantly showcases the business response from members of our Natural Capital Leaders Platform. They look to CISL to help them navigate this myriad of complexity, offering the latest science to inform their leadership decisions.

The supermarket chain will donate the funds arising from the bag charge to support community projects across Scotland

Asda donates carrier bag charge to Scottish community projects

Asda has announced it will be donating £145,000 raised from the mandatory 5p charge for single-use carrier bags (SUCB) to community projects across Scotland through a new Community Capital scheme.

Large pieces of plastic can strangle animals such as seals, while smaller pieces are ingested by fish and then fed up the food chain

Full scale of plastic in the world's oceans revealed for first time

More than five trillion pieces of plastic, collectively weighing nearly 269,000 tonnes, are floating in the world's oceans, causing damage throughout the food chain, new research has found.

Over 250 retailers have already registered an interest in Zero Waste Scotland's Carrier Bag Commitment

Scotland launches new carrier bag reporting tool as usage plummets

Retailers signed up to Zero Waste Scotland's Carrier Bag Commitment will now be able to access a new reporting portal that can track how many single-use carrier bags are still being sold and how much revenue is being generated.

Member states will have two choices of policy: to ensure that the average annual consumption of bags does not exceed 90 per person by 2019 and 40 by 2025, or ensure that they are not handed to customers free of charge by 2018

EU prepared for 'historic' vote on rules to cut plastic bag waste

Representatives from the European Parliament and the EU Council will vote on an agreement to cut the use of thin-gauge plastic carrier bags today (24 November).

The polythene industry is working to make the production process of polythene as efficient and wast-free as possible

Plastic bag tax: is the future of polythene surprisingly green?

With the EU set to approve an historic deal to cut plastic bag use, Anthony Brimelow, commercial director of polythene manufacturer Duo UK, takes a look at how technology is helping to 'green' a material that's often viewed as an environmental L'Enfants terribles.

If the talks do not produce an agreement, the proposal will have to be rethought and may be scrapped completely

EU Ministers block scheme to cut plastic bag waste

A group of European Union (EU) Member States - including the UK, Romania, Greece, Croatia and Poland - is blocking a European Parliament proposal to reduce plastic bag use by 80% by 2019, despite 92% of Europeans agreeing that measures should be taken to reduce single plastic bag use.

Customers will be charged 5p for standard single-use carrier bags with 100% of the profits going to charity

B&Q brings carrier bag charge to England

Following the success of mandatory carrier bag charges in Wales and Scotland, B&Q has announced a charging scheme of its own in England; in an effort to encourage customers to re-use old bags and reduce pollution.

Sainsbury's will stop rewarding shoppers with Nectar points for every bag they reuse from April next year.

Sainsbury's to stop Nectar points for bag reuse

Retail giant Sainsbury's has announced that it will stop rewarding shoppers with Nectar points for every bag they reuse from April next year, as part of wider changes to its loyalty programme.

Every retailer in Scotland will charge at least 5p for each new carrier bag they give to shoppers.

Carrier bag charge: In numbers

On Monday (20 October), Scotland will introduce its levy on single-use carrier bags (SUCB), meaning they can no longer be given away free of charge. To help explain the facts and figures surrounding the levy, edie has compiled a list of carrier bag sustainability statistics.

Douglas McMaster is opening the UK's first permanent zero-waste restaurant in Brighton. Photo: Julia Claxton

Closed-loop dining: Inside the UK's first zero-waste restaurant

Visionary young chef Douglas McMaster is hoping to ignite behaviour change in the hospitality industry as he prepares to open the doors of the UK's first permanent zero-waste eatery in Brighton.