A new study has revealed that nearly 7 billion plastic bags will be used for UK deliveries by 2030, highlighting a growing divide between online and high-street retailers in the push to eliminate plastic waste.
Research conducted by Development Economics, commissioned by sustainable packaging company DS Smith, found that the UK has become the largest market for e-commerce plastic delivery bags among major European economies.
While high-street retailers have drastically reduced their plastic bag usage following the introduction of the 5p charge in 2015, which led to a 98 percent decline, online retailers are heading in the opposite direction.
According to estimates, the number of plastic bags used for UK deliveries will increase by 40 percent by 2030.
This means that over the next five years, 6.9 billion plastic bags will be used, with 1.3 billion expected in 2030 alone.
DS Smith is urging for legislative changes to keep pace with the rapid growth of e-commerce and for retailers to take faster action in phasing out plastic packaging.
The study found that only 9 percent of fashion e-commerce bags are currently reused or recycled, while the remaining 91 percent—amounting to 857 million bags in the past year—end up in landfill or incineration. If no action is taken, over 1 billion plastic bags will be sent to landfill or burned annually by 2030.
Stefano Rossi, Divisional CEO of Packaging at DS Smith, emphasised the importance of change, stating that while online shopping continues to expand, e-commerce retailers have fallen behind their high-street counterparts in replacing plastic bags.
He warned that businesses focusing solely on cost-cutting by sticking with plastic may face backlash from consumers, who are increasingly demanding sustainable alternatives. Rossi called for stricter legislation to phase out plastic bags, creating a fairer market that encourages innovation and investment in sustainable packaging solutions.
Consumer attitudes reflect this growing demand for change. The research found that 67 percent of people support phasing out plastic bags when alternatives are available, while 60 percent prefer to receive their online orders wrapped in cardboard or paper.
Additionally, 51 percent of UK shoppers feel guilty about the amount of plastic in their deliveries and believe it is the responsibility of retailers to reduce plastic use. Nearly half of shoppers, 46 percent, said they would be more likely to buy from fashion retailers that use easily recyclable packaging.
With e-commerce continuing to grow, retailers and policymakers face increasing pressure to act before the environmental impact of plastic packaging becomes irreversible.
