SVT's survey of the three largest players in Swedish grocery trade; Ica, Coop and Axfood, show that sales of plastic bags have dropped dramatically. Ica and Coop state that sales have been halved, and the Axfood chains Willys, Willys Hemma and Hemköp see a 70 percent decline. At the same time, paper box sales have skyrocketed in everyone. 

Several of the chains have expanded the range of different types of carrying bags. Sales of multi-purpose carriers have doubled from a fairly low level.  

Plastic waste should be reduced

The purpose of tax on plastic carriers is to reduce the amount of packaging and packaging waste. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the annual consumption of thin plastic carrier bags was 74 per person in Sweden in 2019. There is a goal within the EU to reduce the number to 40 per person in 2025. 

Gives ringing in the Treasury

The government also expects the plastic bag tax to bring in about SEK 2 billion to the Treasury this year. So far, 22.3 million has been received. The sum applies only to the month of May, and it will be higher when all companies that sell plastic bags registered their tax. 

- The sum should increase every month until we reach a plateau where it stops at the amount of bags that will be sold, says Titti Campalto excise tax expert at the Swedish Tax Agency.

SEK 3 per plastic carrier case goes to tax. In many stores, a plastic bag today costs between six and seven kronor.