Coles has reached a fundraising milestone this month. The retailer’s range of colourful, reusable bags has helped raise more than $5 million for community organisations.
The Coles Community Bags designed by Aussie schoolkids were launched in 2018 when single-use plastic bags were removed from stores. 10% of every bag sold is directed to community organisations to support grassroots sport, the environment and vulnerable Australians.
According to Coles, the funds raised by the reusable bags have helped:
- Guide Dogs Australia to breed and train 23 guide dogs to support Australians with low vision or blindness.
- SecondBite to provide the equivalent of 4.3 million meals to feed Aussies in need.
- Clean Up Australia to buy more than 5000 first aid kits for volunteers cleaning up waterways, parks and beaches.
- 376 grassroots Little Athletics centres to purchase $1.68 million worth of new sports equipment to help kids live healthier, happier lives.
Additional community bags have also raised more than $230,000 for Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) schools and nearly $200,000 to support homeless and disadvantaged people through Collingwood Football Club Foundation’s Magpie Nest.
Coles Group CEO Steven Cain thanks customers for supporting the community and helping to reduce single use plastic bags.
“We are delighted to have raised more than $5 million through the sale of our community bags to support six wonderful community organisations,” he says.
“The community bags initiative has been a winning partnership for the environment, customers and community and it’s one way we are working better together to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.”