PepsiCo’s Felecia White says retailers have a lot to learn from plastic bag ban
Retailers should take note of Woolworths and Coles’ single use plastic bag ban, PepsiCo’s head of consumer insights and strategy, Felecia White, has told an audience of retail marketers.
Speaking at Mumbrella’s Retail Marketing Summit, White was asked where she sees organisations being able to drive change. She pointed to the way Australia’s major supermarkets handled the plastic bag ban as an example other retailers should pay attention to.
Felecia White speaking at the Retail Marketing Summit
“There’s a bit of a checkered history about seeing organisations as a force for good, or sometimes, not-so-good,” White told the audience.
“[Managers] at Coles and Woolworths at some point thought [banning single use plastic bags] was a great idea … probably responding to the needs of consumers and lobby groups and shoppers.”
She also praised the supermarkets for rolling out the scheme in a “relatively painless” way.
“And now we have an 80% reduction in single use plastic bags in a relatively short space of time, which I think is an awesome thing. And that’s just organiations deciding to do good,” she said.
White has spent 20 years studying how people snack, including 10 years at PepsiCo, and referred to the concept of “performance with purpose” as being what retailers should strive for. She said that brands should be aiming towards “doing what’s right for the organisation but also being responsive to the needs of the world around us”.
“It’s good for their bottom line, it’s good for the world around them, which I suppose is ultimately what performance with purpose is.
“I think a lot of organisations are starting to realise that it’s just good business.”
Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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What a pointless article.
Also, Ms White shouldn’t forget the debacle on the plastic bag ban which was on, then off, then on. And the research that shows the single use bags have been replaced by bags that are far worse for the environment.
Retailer SHOULD learn. From the Coles/Woolies mistakes.
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