The Universal Bag | ASDA X Anya Hindmarch

Description

Visionaries Unite for Sustainability

Boasting rigorous durability tests, each Universal Bag is fortified to endure a decade of use. But it doesn’t end there. This bag incorporates a groundbreaking feature—an ingenious freepost returns pocket nestled within an interior pocket. By simply converting the bag into this built-in pocket, which also doubles as a pre-addressed envelope, you can effortlessly post it through a letterbox, ensuring it undergoes a 100% local recycling process.

Beyond its practicality and resilience, the Universal Bag has been meticulously designed to captivate. The aim is to create a bag that customers not only proudly carry but are also motivated to cherish and reuse—a powerful step towards addressing the enduring issue of shopping bag sustainability.

In the spirit of collaboration that defines this project, Anya Hindmarch and her production partner, Solent Group, are committed to sharing their insights with global retailers upon request. Their shared vision is to advance the cause of responsible shopping bag usage, from production to reuse and recycling, on a global scale.

Anya Hindmarch, the Founder and Creative Director, shares her perspective, stating, “Since the inception of The Universal Bag, we’ve prevented over 97 tonnes of virgin plastic from languishing in landfills—a weight equivalent to more than 8 London double-decker buses. Yet, the problem of single-use plastic persists. Our collaboration with major global food retailers underscores the imperative of collective action and how, together, we can make a substantial impact.”

Sam Dickson, Acting Chief Customer Officer at ASDA, expresses excitement about their partnership with Anya Hindmarch on the Universal Bag project, emphasizing its critical importance. He notes the opportunity to create a distinctive version of the bag tailored to their customers, offering a high-quality, sustainable product in their iconic ‘Asda green.’ He anticipates shoppers will eagerly embrace the prospect of acquiring an Anya Hindmarch bag while shopping and looks forward to the response.

Ashley Symonds, CEO of Solent, adds his perspective, drawing attention to their shared commitment to pioneering initiatives that enhance customer well-being and sustainability. He lauds the Universal Bag as a beautiful, high-performance product that encourages customers to embrace reusability and sustainability. Furthermore, he highlights the unprecedented feature of effortless recycling, ensuring the bag seamlessly reenters the recycling stream when the need arises. The Universal Bag, in his view, marks a significant milestone in their mission to eradicate single-use plastic bag usage permanently, offering a true market innovation and a transformative step towards a sustainable future.