Canadian food and pharmacy retailer Loblaw is to stop offering single-use plastic shopping bags at stores across the Canadian Northwest Territories from 1 November.

The move is the company’s latest effort to reduce single-use plastic in Canada and includes Glen’s Independent Grocer and Rochdi’s Independent Grocer.

Loblaw will also remove single-use plastic shopping bags from stores across Manitoba province in Canada, including No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Extra Foods and Wholesale Club.

In addition, the retailer will eliminate single-use bags from its stores across Saskatchewan province.

These stores will include No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Extra Foods, Your Independent Grocer and Wholesale Club.

Loblaw will offer reusable alternatives such as black polycarbonate reusable bags or totes at checkout lanes.

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The retailer is also encouraging customers to bring their own bags to the stores.

Loblaw Companies chief operating officer Robert Sawyer said: “We are a purpose-led organisation, with a goal to help Canadians live life well.

“Our commitment to reduce our carbon footprint is an important part of that.

“Our efforts to remove single-use plastic bags from our stores have already resulted in 13 billion fewer bags going to landfill. But we know there’s more work to be done.

“Today’s announcement represents our continued commitment to protecting our environment across the region and beyond.”

The sustainable move is in line with Loblaw’s efforts to reduce its use of single-use plastic, as well as its environmental, social and governance goals.

It comes after the retailer announced plans to complete the phase-out of all single-use plastic shopping bags across its operations by early next year.

Loblaw’s corporate and franchise grocery stores, pharmacies and PC Express stores across Canada will stop providing plastic bags by the end of Q1 2023.

The retailer has pledged to make all its control brand and in-store packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.