Boots is banning plastic bags and replacing them with brown paper carriers

Living more sustainably is quickly becoming a top priority for many of us. Whether it's finding out how to recycle beauty products, opting for fashion pieces that support campaigns like World Ocean Day, or shopping responsibly to reduce waste, there are many ways that you can do your bit.

And the big brands are also taking note of the shift towards a more eco-friendly way of life. Waitrose is trialling a 'take your own tubs' scheme to reduce single use plastic, John Lewis is introducing an initiative to recycle your beauty empties and Lush is steaming ahead of the pack with packaging free stores and refillable products.

Now high street health and beauty retailer Boots has announced its plans to ban plastic bags in favour of brown paper carriers, and we're here for it.

The plan is to eliminate 900 tons of single-use plastic by offering a paper alternative. The initiative will be rolled out in 56 stores this week and will be a fixture in 2,485 stores by early 2020.

The new recycled brown paper bags are made in the UK and are unbleached (meaning reduced use of harmful chemicals), with the blue Boots logo is printed with water-based inks so the bags can still be recycled after use.

Helen Normoyle, Boots director of marketing, said the paper bags 'have been carefully tested to make sure that over their entire life cycle they are better for the environment, whilst still being a sturdy, practical option for customers who haven't bought their own bags with them when shopping'.

She continued: 'We have seen a significant shift in our customers' attitudes towards plastics and recycling in recent years - there's never been a more important time to show our customers that we're taking action to reduce our impact.'

Other retailers, take note.