A new solution to grocery bag woes – Georgia Main Food Group launches first-ever Borrow a Bag program where it is guilt and hassle free if you forget your bag at home

February 18, 2025, hən̓̓qəmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh traditional territory / Burnaby, B.C. – If there is one thing consumers can all relate to it is the anxious feeling of realizing you’ve forgotten one of your many reusable bags at home when you have that last minute trip to the grocery store. And what you may not realize is that even if you are occasionally okay to swallow your pride and pay for that paper bag at the grocery till, paper bags are taking their toll on the environment.

“We know our customers want to do the right thing when it comes to shopping sustainably and saving money, and after a successful pilot we are proud to launch Canada’s first-ever Borrow a Bag program at IGA and Fresh St. Market stores in British Columbia,” said Tom Truchan, Director, Health & Food Safety, Sustainability & Logistics, Georgia Main Food Group. “It takes one mature tree to produce 700 paper bags and when we do the math we are selling the paper bag equivalent of more than 3000 trees each year in our stores. We knew we had to think differently to find a way to reduce our fall-back on paper and find a better way to elevate our reusable bag game.”

Customers in most IGA and Fresh St. Market stores in British Columbia will now be able to get a reusable bag for a refundable deposit of $2.99, and when they are finished with the bag they can return it to get their deposit back. The bag is laundered and brought back to the store for more customer use in this circular reusable bag system.

“Many households have an overabundance of reusable bags that have accumulated over time and other customers opt for ‘single use’ paper bags which have significant environmental impacts,” said Truchan. “Now at IGA and Fresh St. Market you don’t have to worry about forgetting your bag at home and even if you pile up a bunch of Borrow a Bags you can still bring them in at any time and get your $2.99 deposit back. The program is that simple and staff and customers in our pilot program are loving the common sense and peace of mind of it all.”

The early success of the pilot Borrow a Bag at IGA in Coquitlam and Surrey in 2023/24 led GMFG to expand the program to the majority of its stores in British Columbia for 2025.

“We have heard excellent early feedback from staff and customers in our pilot locations,” added Truchan. “As we have communicated to all our stores, now with the widespread roll out of Borrow a Bag, customers shopping at IGA and Fresh St. Market should never have to purchase a new reusable or paper bag again.”