Marks & Spencer replaces plastic bags for life with paper ones

New paper carrier bags are water-resistant and capable of carrying up to six four-pint milk bottles

Marks & Spencer has replaced plastic bags for life with paper carrier bags in an attempt to reduce its impact on the environment.

The food and clothing retailer said the new Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper bags were now available in every one of its UK stores.

A “strong, robust” bag will be available to people taking their food shop home, while a “simpler” one will be on offer in its clothing section.

They are capable of carrying more than 15kg or six four-pint bottles of milk and can be reused more than 100 times, the company said.

Natural resin applied during the manufacturing process makes them water resistant. They can also easily be folded into a backpack and put in home recycling bins.

A team from the University of Sheffield assessed the environmental impact of the bags, which are manufactured using renewable energy at a hydro-powered paper mill in Scandinavia.

The M&S director of corporate affairs, Victoria McKenzie-Gould, said in a blog post: “We now have a solution that is better environmentally and which helps customers looking to make small changes to reduce their environmental footprint.

“For the vast majority who already reuse their own bags, which remains the most sustainable option, not a lot will change.

“But on the odd occasion when we all need to reach for one more bag, we’re pleased to be offering a more sustainable option for customers.”

Annual distribution of plastic carrier bags by the seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in July.

Morrisons was the first supermarket to ditch plastic “bags for life” following evidence that they are used once then thrown away.

Photograph: eclipse_images/Getty Images/iStockphoto - Shoppers can pick up the new bags in every UK M&S store.