Environment

Ocado's founder has claimed that the government should drop the debate on plastic bags and start to worry about bigger environmental issues.

Jason Gissing, who is chief financial officer of the online grocery retailer, told The Times in an interview published on its website today (4 September) that there are lots of things which have a far greater impact.

He said there was a strong case to drop the plastic bag debate and start "focusing on where our electricity generation comes from in this country".

"We should have a nuclear debate rather than worry about whether a retailer is charging 5p or 10p for a plastic bag… There are lots and lots of things which have a far greater impact which don’t get debated," he said.

However, he rubbished the notion that individuals can’t make a difference to the environment and cited the debate over plastic bags and excess packaging as areas where individuals should take action.

"I do believe that debates like the plastic bag debate are important because it shows individuals that they can make a difference."

Gissing’s comments follow a month in which retailers have stepped up their efforts to cut plastic bag use in the face of a government threat of legislation over charging for bags.

In particular, a number of supermarkets and high-street shops have removed single-use carrier bags from the checkout to force customers to ask for them and encourage them to use bags for life.

Separately, Gissing argued that Ocado, which runs warehouses and delivery vans but no supermarkets, was both the greenest and most financially viable way of shopping for groceries.

"Of course we want the world to be a greener place… However, we have a significant competitive advantage [selling] this way," he said.

Click here to listen to the full interview

Is Jason Gissing right? Log in and let us know your views on the plastic bag debate below.