In a continued push to reduce single-use bag waste, the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bagāan industry collaboration managed by Closed Loop Partnersā Center for the Circular Economyāhas launched the largest retail campaign of its kind in California, inviting customers to āBreak Up With Single-Use Bags.ā Supporting the initiative are Target, CVS Health and The Kroger Co. through its local banners Ralphs and Food 4 Less.
Now rolling out in nearly 1,000 stores across Southern California, the campaign significantly expands the Consortiumās reach and marks a milestone for bag reduction and reuse, engaging and inviting more than 10 million customers to reduce single-use bag waste and build a more circular future for their communities and the retail industry.
The campaign launches at a pivotal time, as major retailers recognize the need to support customer behavior change to meet waste reduction goals. California was the selected market for the campaign in anticipation of a significant policy shift: beginning in January 2026, the state will ban all single-use and thicker plastic bags, offering paper as the only single-use bag option. This transition presents a key opportunity for impact, based on evidence that well-designed policies, paired with effective consumer engagement, can drive meaningful reductions in single-use bag waste.
āBreak Up With Single-Use Bagsā is an ongoing, open campaign, inviting customers and retailers to participate in vital work to shape the future of retail, one that does not create single-use bag waste. The campaign encourages people to let go of familiarāāyet operationally and environmentally challengingāāhabits of disposable bag use, and transition toward more resource-efficient low-waste choices.
āThis campaign reflects a growing movement of retailers and communities working together, guided by data and a shared vision, to shift the retail experience toward one that eliminates waste altogether by reducing our reliance on disposable bags,ā said Kate Daly, Managing Partner and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners.
The campaign includes a major rollout across Orange County, San Diego County and the Inland Empire, with a suite of customer engagement strategies, including in-store signage, checkout prompts, parking lot signage and out-of-store marketing, all designed to engage shoppers at key decision points. The campaignās tactics and design were informed by data and insights from the Center for the Circular Economyās previous in-market community-wide activations, including the 2024 Petaluma Reusable Cup Project in California and the 2023 Bring Your Own Bag pilot in Denver, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona.
The in-market tests in Denver and Tucson deployed similar strategies and resulted in statistically significant reductions in single-use bag consumption. In Denver, where bag legislation is already in place, single-use bag transactions decreased by 11.7 percent. Across both markets, the pilot was estimated to have reduced single-use bag use by approximately 9.5 million bags annually. This upcoming in-market activation in California builds on proven tactics, with an expanded scope and extended timelineārunning for over a year to generate deeper insights into long-term behavior change and systems-level outcomes.
āAt Target, weāre proud to offer products and services that provide our guests with more sustainable options,ā said Agata Ramallo Garcia, vice president, head of enterprise sustainability at Target. āWeāre thrilled to support efforts like the Beyond the Bag Initiative that offer guests convenient solutions that reduce environmental impact and make a meaningful impact for the communities we serve.ā
āThe health of our environment is directly connected to the well-being of the people and communities we serve,ā said Jenny McColloch, VP of Sustainability and Community Impact at CVS Health. āThis connection drives our commitment to creating a more sustainable future across everything we do at CVS Health. This latest initiative aims to collaboratively address waste in our neighborhoods, stores and everyday decisions, creating a positive impact for individuals and the planet.ā
āAt our Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores, weāre helping customers take small but meaningful steps toward reducing waste,ā said Salvador Ramirez, Corporate Affairs Manager at Ralphs and Food 4 Less. āāBreak Up With Single-Use Bagsā is about more than just bagsāāitās about building habits that align with the values of our shoppers and the goals of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan.ā