According to the memo, which was addressed to all employees, Apple will eliminate plastic shopping bags in all its stores starting April 15. They will be replaced with paper bags made from 80 percent recycled materials.
Assuming this memo is real, it’s very possible that not all stores will make the complete switch by April 15. Many stores are likely to have a remaining stock of plastic bags, and they are instructed to use them first.
Once the switch is made, employees will ask customers if they even want a bag in an effort to use less paper bags since some customers can be expected to decline. Customers will also have the option to get a medium or large bag depending on the purchase size.
Apple’s VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives Lisa Jackson announced at last month’s event that 93 percent of the company’s operations utilize renewable energy. On top of that, the company also announced the Apple Renew program, which allows consumers to properly recycle their older iPhones. The company even showed off Liam, an automated robot that can disassemble these iPhones so that each part can be recycled appropriately.
Those who participate in the Apple Renew Program get a special gift card that’s made of recycled plastic. The design of those cards weren’t initially revealed, but they have since appeared on eBay.
The change to paper bags will not only impact the environment, it could also affect those who like to collect those “special edition” plastic bags for certain product launches. However, it’s likely Apple will adopt a similar strategy with the newer paper bags.
We do need to emphasize that this move hasn’t been officially announced by Apple yet, but there’s a very good chance the leaked memo is authentic based on Apple’s previously demonstrated commitment to impacting the environment in a positive way. A move to paper bags just makes sense.
