Tesco is to offer shoppers a financial incentive to use fewer plastic shopping bags in a bid to cut the yearly four billion plastic bags it dishes out by 25% within two years

Tesco plastic bag scheme: the first of its kind

The UK?s number one retailer will offer its 13 million Clubcard members points for not using plastic bags, re-using old plastic bags ? even those from rival supermarkets, packing shopping in carrier bags bought into the store and for returning bags.

Clubcard points are usually awarded at a rate of one for each ?1 spent. Clubcard holders will also receive one voucher to redeem against a ?bag for life? in Tesco stores.

Chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy, said the supermarket had been working on ways to reduce plastic bag use. ?We have had a team looking at carrier bags, trialling different ideas in our stores and talking to customers about what we could do to encourage them to use fewer bags and to recycle the ones they do use.

"We have to move the emphasis away from trying to force change and onto rewarding positive behaviour. In other words a more carrot than stick approach," he said.

From September all Tesco?s carrier bags will be degradable and a new thicker and bigger bag will be launched so customers need to use less bags and will be more likely to return them to the store.

The new scheme to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags starts on 14 August and will be supported by TV ads to explain how it will work. Celebrities, including Martine McCutcheon and Alan Tichmarsh, will front the adverts.