The South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) has welcomed an announcement by Woolworths that it will phase out plastic bags across its South Australian and Northern Territory stores in favour of locally made paper bags so Aussie shoppers can directly support local wood fibre manufacturing jobs by using them to pack their groceries.

The announcement by the supermarket is that it would phase out plastic bags in a bid to go greener by supplying paper bags to its customers.

SAFPA chief executive Nathan Paine said the decision was warmly welcomed as the “right choice for the environment, especially noting the announcement that Woolies will work with Adelaide-based manufacturer Detpack to increase manufacturing capacity for paper bags which will create 25 new jobs in the family-owned business”.

“This is a win-win-win scenario, a win for the environment, a win for local manufacturing jobs and a win for South Australia’s forest products industry,” he said.

“With the announcement it is turning to domestic supply for paper bags, Woolies has now ticked both boxes.

“It is the leading retailer when it comes to caring for the environment by moving away from single use plastic and now it is adding local jobs to the mix.

“COVID-19 has shown us the risk of relying on imports, and the need for Australia to be more self-reliant in everyday essentials like paper packaging, bags and toilet paper.

“When the major retailers opt for Aussie made they bring the scale to bear which allows locals to gear up for cost competitive production.”

Mr Paine said Australian retailers were now catching up with a huge global trend.

“Far from a ‘blast from the past’ the Woolies paper bags decision lines it up with the cutting edge,” he said.

“Internationally shoppers are ditching plastic packaging wherever they can and opting for more environmentally friendly alternatives.

“The World Bank expects global demand for wood fibre products to quadruple by 2050.

“SAFPA congratulates Adelaide based Detpak which will manufacture these bags.

SAFPA urges all retailers and businesses to move whatever packaging they can to natural recyclable, fibre-based products, and then ensure production occurs in Australia.

“That includes everything from printing paper and packaging, toilet tissue and paper towels, point of sale displays, coffee cups, and even catalogues.

“Every extra Aussie paper product means more local Aussie jobs.”