A New Zealand supermarket chain has announced plans to roll out the country's first plastic-free aisle.
The move mirrors that of retail chain Ekoplaza in the Netherlands, which opened its first plastic-free supermarket aisle in February.
The New Zealand chain, Countdown, is hoping to introduce the aisle to its Ponsonby store.
GM of corporate affairs Kiri Hannifin expected it would be challenging to convince international suppliers to make the change.
Other changes will include disposing of unnecessary plastic packaging on fresh fruit and vegetables.
"In produce, one of the things we're really investigating is whether we can shift to paper. We're also looking at whether we can help customers bring their own bags or containers for produce," Hannifin said.
Plastic bags were removed from checkouts at 10 Countdown stores across the country this week, with the rest of the stores to follow suit by the end of the year.
She said China's recycling ban, and news of supermarkets stockpiling waste, should encourage consumers to be more environmentally conscious.
