The I’m Not A Plastic Bag tote was designed by Anya in 2007 as part of a collaborative project with Antidote and global social change movement We Are What We Do (now known as Shift). After thousands of people queued to purchase the tote from Sainsburys (80,000 on launch day), the project garnered huge press coverage globally, ignited the debate around the use of plastic bags and contributed to the eventual decision to charge for plastic bags in the UK.

The British Retail Consortium estimated that in 2006, before the I’m not a Plastic Bag project, the UK used 10.6 billion plastic bags. In 2010, after the project, his figure dropped to 6.1 billion. Sainsbury's cut the number of bags they gave away by 58% in the 2 years that followed the campaign, giving out 312 million fewer bags in 2009 than in 2007 and saving 13,200 tonnes of virgin plastic over two years.

The Launch

The bag was launched globally, prompting queues in many cities.

As Seen On

Many famous faces were spotted shopping with the I’m Not A Plastic Bag tote.

Often Imitated

The tote inspired many humorous copies, which we loved.