California has enacted a new plastic bag ban at grocery store checkouts that came into force on 1 January 2026, marking a significant regulatory change for retailers and packaging producers.
The law, Senate Bill 1053, prohibits all types of plastic carryout bags at grocery, pharmacy, liquor and convenience store checkouts, closing a long-standing loophole in earlier legislation that allowed thicker “reusable” plastic bags to be distributed.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
New requirements for grocery and retail packaging
Under the California plastic bag ban, retailers subject to the law may no longer offer plastic checkout bags of any thickness to customers.
Stores may instead provide recycled paper bags at the point of sale, typically for a minimum charge (often around 10 cents), or encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags.
The restriction applies to a wide range of outlets selling grocery and consumer goods, including supermarkets, drugstores with pharmacy sections and smaller convenience stores.
The legislation reflects broader policy goals to curb single-use plastics and reduce the volume of plastic waste entering landfills and the natural environment.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataBackground and drivers of the ban
California’s policy initiative builds on earlier packaging and waste regulations first introduced in 2014 with Senate Bill 270 and upheld by voters in 2016 via Proposition 67.
Those earlier measures banned lightweight single-use plastic bags but permitted thicker plastic film alternatives, which proved difficult to recycle and were widely discarded rather than reused.
Legislators and environmental organisations cited data showing that the overall weight of plastic bags disposed by Californians increased in the years after the original ban, in part because these heavier bags were exempt from earlier restrictions.
Senate Bill 1053, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2024, is intended to eliminate that unintended outcome by removing all plastic checkout bags from grocery retail environments.
Implications for packaging supply chains
The packaging industry and grocery retail sectors now face adjustments in supply and logistics as demand shifts from plastic to paper-based alternatives and reusable solutions.
Retailers are implementing systems to ensure compliance, including staff training at checkout and updates to inventory and disposal practices to align with the new plastic bag ban regulations.
Provisions in the law also anticipate future sustainability standards: by 1 January 2028, paper bags provided at checkout must meet minimum post-consumer recycled content requirements.
This change is likely to influence packaging suppliers that serve the grocery and convenience retail sectors, particularly those producing carryout and point-of-sale bags.
Compliance with the new rules is being monitored through local enforcement mechanisms, aligning with California’s broader agenda to reduce plastic pollution across packaging value chains while supporting reuse and recycling objectives.
