In a bid to reduce plastic waste, duty-free firm Heineman has introduced a charge for single-use plastic bags at Copenhagen International Airport.
At Heinemann’s duty-free outlets in Copenhagen, single-use plastic bags are now available only for a fee of Dkr2 or Dkr3 (US$0.3 or US$0.4), with profits going to marine conservation organization OceanCare, which specializes in environmental education and the rescue of marine animals.
“In our shops we have the opportunity to draw the attention of customers from all over the world to the issue of plastic pollution and to strengthen their awareness of the problem,” said Esben Keller, managing director, Heinemann Retail Denmark. “Through our cooperation with OceanCare, it will be possible for our customers to make a contribution to global nature conservation.”
Heinemann and OceanCare trialled the scheme in 14 airport outlets in Germany and Austria in 2017, since when it has extended it to Bratislava, Ljubljana, Budapest, and now Copenhagen.
In the first year of the cooperation alone, the number of plastic bags issued at participating sites fell by around 70%, and €300,000 (US$330,000) has already been raised for the marine conservation organization.