No cynical subplot to plastic bag ban

SUPERMARKETS have hit back at claims from a marketing expert that banning plastic bags is more about driving profits than saving the planet.

University of Auckland head of marketing Bodo Lang said most companies wanted to be perceived as a ‘‘good corporate citizen’’ because it helped attract, and retain, customers and workers.

However, Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said Lang’s comments were ‘‘unfair’’.

‘‘We are not out to make a cent on this. We are just trying to do the right thing here.

‘‘Of course it’s about being a good corporate citizen, because, as a big business, we have an absolute obligation to do the right thing. But it’s unfair to say we are doing it to increase sales across the business.

‘‘Phasing out single use plastic bags wasn’t in any way a move to make money. There is nothing cynical in this.’’

Any profits made from ‘‘emergency’’ bags, which were sold for 15 cents, were donated back to environment charities, Hannifin said.

Meanwhile, Steve Bayliss, general manager of marketing at Foodstuffs, which is Countdown’s biggest rival, said the move away from single-use plastic bags was ‘‘absolutely not’’ about the company’s bottom line.

‘‘We’re flummoxed as to how any expert has failed to take into account the overwhelming sentiment of the New Zealand public for change with regard to plastic bags. That’s what we’re responding to.’’

Lang said there was a ‘‘real benefit to being a likeable brand and being perceived as doing the right things’’.

‘‘If customers are not on board, very very few companies would follow through.’’

Companies would often do market research and crunch the numbers before making a decision, like banning plastic bags, Lang said.

In 2007, Victoria University research estimated total bag usage to be 1.29 billion bags a year, or five a week for every person in New Zealand.