New Zealand’s Z Energy commits to a future without plastic bags

All Z service stations will be free of single use customer plastic bags by June 2018, as the company responds to a groundswell of support from Kiwis for eliminating New Zealand’s dependency on plastic bags.

As part of Z’s commitment to environmental sustainability, Z has started encouraging less use of plastic bags, and from June 2018, will have no plastic bags available at sites at all.

According to a recent report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050 – the amount of plastic will literally outweigh fish.

“We may be a fuel company, but we’re determined to be at the heart of the sustainability solution, and doing something simple like no longer having plastic bags available seems like another small but meaningful step towards a better future,” said Z’s Sustainability Manager, Gerri Ward.

The New Zealand fuel retailer will take the two and a half million plastic bags that they give out each year completely out of circulation. The company is also in the process of rolling out new modular forecourt recycling bins at 115 Z sites.

“The new modular forecourt bins separate out customers’ different recycling materials, and will better support customers to recycle,” said Ward.

Z Energy owns and manages approximately 208 service stations and about 160 truck stops.