All Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores to charge for plastic bags from 2022

SINGAPORE: Customers at all 167 Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores in Singapore will be charged for plastic bags from Jan 1 next year, NTUC FairPrice announced on Friday (Nov 12).

The plastic bag charge will also be extended at selected FairPrice supermarkets for another year.

These supermarkets are: FairPrice Xtra outlets at Hougang One and Kallang Wave Mall; FairPrice Finest outlets at 100AM, Zhong Shan Park, Paya Lebar Quarter, Changi Airport Terminal 3, Funan, Bukit Timah Plaza and Valley Point; and FairPrice outlets at Coronation Plaza and Tai Seng.

Plastic bags will cost S$0.20 and S$0.10 per transaction at the supermarkets and convenience stores respectively.

NTUC FairPrice said all proceeds will go towards supporting green initiatives including a S$180,000 contribution to the National Parks Board's OneMillionTrees movement. 

That contribution will fund the planting of 600 trees as well as nature and conservation outreach programmes.

The grocery retailer first introduced a plastic bag charge at selected outlets in November 2019. The charge is currently in place at 24 stores.

In two years, the initiative has saved more than 30 million plastic bags, with seven out of 10 customers willing to bring their own bags, said NTUC FairPrice.

"We took the lead in being the first supermarket in Singapore to charge for plastic bags to reduce excessive use while encouraging behavioural change in consumers, and inspiring other retailers in the industry to do their part," said FairPrice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng.

He said the company would "build on the momentum" of the initiative by introducing it across the entire chain of Cheers and FairPrice Xpress stores.

"We encourage more customers to join us in this sustainability movement," Mr Seah added.

NTUC FairPrice is Singapore's largest supermarket chain with a network of more than 370 stores.