Anya Hindmarch unveils more supermarket shopping bags

British accessories brand Anya Hindmarch is launching its durable and reusable Universal Bag with Asda and the Co-op, following its collaborations with Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Selfridges Food Halls.

The affordable circular shopping bags were launched by Hindmarch in collaboration with supermarkets to reduce the reliance on single-use plastic bags. The Universal Bag is durable, reusable, and 100 percent recycled, as well as being fully recyclable at the end of its life.

The Asda version will be available from the end of February in 300 stores nationwide in its signature brand of green, while the Co-op version, available in 315 stores nationwide from the end of March in its blue branding.

The bags are designed by Anya Hindmarch and manufactured by the Solent Group. They retail for 10 pounds and come with a 10-year guarantee. Should a customer wish to recycle the bag, it can simply be folded into its free returns pocket for a replacement.

Anya Hindmarch, founder and creative director, said in a statement: “Since launching The Universal Bag, we have saved over 97 tonnes of virgin plastic from landfill, the equivalent weight of over 8 London double-decker buses.

“The problem of single use plastic is far from solved. Working together with major global food retailers shows how the solution needs to be collaborative and that together we can make a big difference.”

Ashley Symonds, chief executive at Solent, added: “The Universal Bag is a beautiful and high-performing product that encourages customers to buy into reusability and sustainability; it’s not a bag you’d ever feel comfortable throwing in the bin.

“Given the durability of the bag, ideally, it will never need to be recycled but, if it does, we have made it easy for the customer to get it back into the recycling stream – a process that has never been done before. The Universal Bag is a true market first and another step change in our mission to end single use plastic bag usage once and for all.”