Sobeys will be the first national grocery store to eliminate plastic bags.

As consumers become increasingly environmentally conscious, it is surprising that this is the first Canadian grocery chain to adopt environmentally minded practices.

By February 2020, customers will either have to remember to bring their own reusable bag or use a paper bag provided by the store.

@sobeys thank-you for taking steps to remove all plastic bags, and becoming the first #grocery store in #Canada to do so! #noplastic

— ⚾Kent Ward⚾ (@kw2bailey) July 31, 2019

This announcement follows the federal government's promise to ban single-use plastic as early as 2021. Beginning this transition before the government mandates it has been a trend for Canadian chains.

A&W and Starbucks locations in Canada have both committed to switching over to paper straws by 2020.

Locally, the Junction's Sweet Potato grocery store announced they would take back their customer’s plastic containers in order to ensure they are recycled properly.

Sobeys is predicting their change will save 225 million plastic grocery bags across the country each year.

Hi James,

We hear you on this and we aren't stopping at plastic bags. This is a key step in our ongoing efforts to reduce plastic, we will do much more.

— Sobeys (@sobeys) July 31, 2019

In August, Sobeys is getting rid of their plastic bags in the produce isle and replacing them with reusable mesh bags made out of recycled water bottles.

The company is going to start favouring customers who bring reusable bags with them to shop. In September, parking spots at their IGA stores in Montreal will be reserved for reusable bag users.

Once Sobeys phases out plastic bags, IGA in Montreal is next on the list. The company is planning on expanding this treatment in all of their stores, which includes Safeway, FreshCo, Foodland, Farm Boy, Price Chopper, Thrifty Foods and Lawton’s Drug Stores.