Monthly Archives: June 2020

Woolworths has come under fire after buyers discovered the paper bags brought back for the first time in 40 years were made in China.

The store added the bags, which are 70 percent recycled and cost 20 cents, to its eco-friendly line on Wednesday in response to continued customer demand.

But angry shoppers have expressed their anger at the online supermarket giant, expressing disappointment at the “Made in China” label.

Woolworths has been criticized for bringing back paper bags made in China

“It’s good to see that you have switched to paper bags, but they are made in China!” How about supporting ours! One person commented.

“I just heard that the new paper bags that were announced this week are from China. It would have been nice to have them made in Australia. How can we support Australians if big business gives us no choice? Very disappointed, ”commented another.

“Shame on you Woolworths. Promote the use of paper bags made in China. Surely they should have been made here in Australia, ”someone else wrote.

“How dare you support China with the new paper bags. Why can’t you support Australia, ”commented another.

Customers took to the Woolworths Facebook page to express their disappointment with the ‘Made in China’ label

Other buyers were more accepting of paper bags made in China.

“So when exactly will you be asking people to throw away and stop using their iPhones?” #AppleMadeInChina, ”wrote one.

‘I do not see the problem. It’s a bag, don’t you like the color? ‘ another commented sarcastically.

“Yes, we should produce them in Australia for 5 times the cost, and then complain here that the paper bag costs so much more than the plastic,” someone else explained.

The giant supermarket responded to frustrated customers saying they were looking for a solution.

“We are currently looking to work with Australian manufacturers to build capacity for making paper bags here in Australia,” they wrote.

“We are big supporters of made in Australia products and we continue to work with Australian manufacturers to help find a solution as soon as possible.”

A Woolworths spokesperson confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that they would consider producing the paper bags locally.

“We have explored options to source paper bags locally at the scale we need,” they said.

“We will continue to work with local manufacturers to see if we can build the capacity to produce paper bags locally. “

Customers took to the Woolworths Facebook page to express their disappointment with the ‘Made in China’ label

The new Woolworths paper bags (Bondi Junction store pictured) are made from 70% recycled paper and can hold up to six kilograms of groceries.

Woolworths Supermarkets chief executive Claire Peters said the re-introduction of the paper bag came after extensive consultation with their customer base.

“These paper bags resonated with customers very well when we tested them in 20 stores last year,” she said.

“We expect to see a positive response from customers who have requested this option nationwide.”

The supermarket giant said all paper used was purchased responsibly and a mix of non-recycled and recycled paper gave the bags extra strength.

Extensive testing also revealed that the new paper bags can carry up to six kilograms of groceries.

Plans are now underway to extend the option to Woolworths online customers for door-to-door delivery and pickup.

Since Woolworths began phasing out single-use plastic bags in 2018, more than 6 billion have been taken out of circulation.

Data from the supermarket giant also revealed that only 15% of customers buy a new plastic bag at checkout.

Plans are also underway to introduce the paper bag option for online deliveries (Woolworths delivery driver pictured in Sydney)