Plastic bags no longer free in Croatian stores starting 2025

As of 1st January 2025, lightweight plastic bags, typically found in rolls in fruit and vegetable sections of shops or at market stalls, will no longer be free of charge.

In September, when the requirement for retailers to introduce charges for lightweight plastic bags was confirmed, the cost was not yet disclosed.

Now, some retailers have revealed how much these bags will cost in their stores.

In response to inquiries from Index.hr, Konzum and Studenac provided their pricing details.

Studenac

“The cost of lightweight plastic bags for fruit and vegetables will be 1 cent each,” Studenac confirmed.

Konzum

“At Konzum, we support all initiatives aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastic bags and overall plastic waste, which aligns with our company’s ESG goals.

In compliance with the Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, Single-Use Plastic Products, and Fishing Gear Containing Plastic, which comes into effect on 1 January 2025 and mandates the charging of lightweight bags, we will charge 1 cent per bag in our fruit and vegetable sections, butcheries, and fish counters.

We will inform our customers about this legislative change through posters at store entrances, in the fruit and vegetable sections, butcheries, and fish counters where these bags are used, as well as via our website.

We encourage customers to use their own reusable bags as often as possible when shopping in our stores to collectively reduce the daily use of plastic.

Konzum will continue to implement initiatives to minimise the overall quantity of materials used and reduce waste by utilising as many reusable and recycled materials as possible.

To further reduce plastic waste, Konzum has also been running the ‘One Less’ campaign for some time, encouraging shoppers to use reusable eco-friendly bags more frequently. Customers have recognised the value of this initiative; compared to 2021, when the campaign launched, they purchased 56% more reusable bags and 30% fewer single-use bags this year,” Konzum stated.

Meanwhile, Kaufland stated that the price of their bags would be announced and made available in all their stores from 2 January.

Other retailers have yet to share their pricing information.