Is M&S Setting Brown's Green Policy?

So that doyen of the High Street Mark and Spencers are setting the green agenda for the Brown Government, or so it seems. After yesterday's announcement that the store will start charging for plastic bags from 6 May it appears that the Prime Minister himself may be hopping unto the band wagon.

Lib Dem MSP Mike Pringle had presented a bill for a plastic bag levy north of the border in the last Scottish Parliament. But he withdrew his bill once some stores took steps towards encouraging reuse, and the executive then urged a voluntary code to take up the cause. However, there had been pressure from the manufacturers of plastic bags on the bill saying that it would effect the economy and jobs in Scotland.

Although as has been pointed out previously on this blog how some of these stores actually encourage this non-existant voluntary code needs major improvement. Sadly only IKEA who have removed single use bags entirely from their stores and now Marks and Spencers appear to be doing all they can to remove the option of free plastic bags from the customers easy reach.

So now the PM is yet again jumping up and down in response giving stores a year to eliminate single use bags from their stores. Although as the quasi-green Tories point out the Government and its agencies have prodused 1.2m such bags promoting themselves in the last 2 years. I'm so glad that years ago Lib Dem Conferences started to produce jute bags for delegate packs, so that we could happily ignore plastic handouts and put the stalls stuff into more environmentally friendly carriers.