July 28, 2008 - British retailer Marks & Spencer says shopper demand for plastic bags has plummeted 80% since it began charging for the bags in early May.

Marks & Spencer says it has saved 70 million plastic bags in the ten weeks since instituting a ten-cent surcharge per bag. The retailer has so far raised more than $400,000 from the charge, which it will donate to local parks and public gardens.

"It is fair to say that M&S’ carrier bag charging policy has provoked a lot of debate but these figures show that the overwhelming majority of our customers support charging and are already helping us to make a huge difference by bringing their own bags in with them when they shop with us," says Sir Stuart Rose, M&S chairman.

The policy is part of the company's sustainability program, Plan A which aims to reduce carrier bag usage by a third and to have no waste from its operations go to landfill by 2012.

Ikea is seeing similar success charging its customers for bags - its plastic bag use is down 90%.