Tucson businesses are invited to participate in ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ campaign
The Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners brings together brands and industry leaders to advance the circular economy, or the sharing and reuse of products in a community.
From May to July 2023, Local First Arizona will be working with Closed Loop Partners to solve one such challenge ― moving beyond the plastic retail bag.
The Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) pilot will debut in two American cities, Tucson and Denver, as part of Closed Loop Partners’ larger “Beyond the Bag” initiative.
The goal of the initiative is simple ― to enable a broader cultural shift towards shoppers bringing their own bags from home.
Over three months, Tucson retailers will test multiple bag-reduction strategies from Closed Loop Partners’ playbook including signage, marketing and customer prompts across different types of stores. The benefits of the initiative range from supporting customers to saving retailers money by decreasing spending on single-use bags to driving positive environmental impact by reducing waste.
Sustainability is a critical part of Local First Arizona’s work, and helping small businesses to reduce (or eliminate) their waste streams is at the heart of both the Green Business Boot Camp and the Arizona Green Business Certification, two programs offered to local businesses.
The Green Business Boot Camp is an award-winning program that offers comprehensive training for local businesses to retool themselves to become more sustainable and resilient through training, financing and project plan development. The Arizona Green Business Certification offers a self-guided process, with consultation from Local First Arizona, that delivers strategies to reduce a company’s environmental impact and give green businesses the recognition they deserve.
Participation in the BYOB pilot is free and includes signage, staff training and additional resources for retailers. In addition to highlighting the initiative on social media, Local First Arizona will activate retailers within our green business coalition to participate. Results from the pilot will be made publicly available by Closed Loop Partners later in 2023.
Tucson businesses interested in learning more about joining the “Bring Your Own Bag” initiative, the Green Business Boot Camp or the Green Business Certification can attend a Local First Arizona presentation 9-10 a.m. Thursday, April 27 at FORGE at Roy Place, 44 N. Stone Ave.
Or to sign up for the “Bring Your Own Bag” pilot, go to the Closed Loop Partners’ website.
Questions: Contact Nick Spinelli at nick.spinelli@localfirstaz.com.
