A recent study revealed that efforts to limit the use of single-use plastic bags in grocery stores and other shops in Austin and Dallas, Texas, led to an increase in consumers buying more plastic bags, a trend that continued even after those rules were lifted.
Environmental regulations may have lasting effects even after they are removed, some of which may go against the original intentions of the policies.
These findings come from research published in the Journal of Marketing Research, co-authored by UC Riverside marketing professor Hai Che. The study investigated the impact of policies aimed at reducing single-use plastic bag usage in retail environments in Austin and Dallas—policies that were eventually retracted.
Notably, the behaviors influenced by the plastic bag regulations persisted even after they were revoked, and some of these outcomes were detrimental to environmental efforts.
The research discovered that sales of plastic bags spiked after the cities stopped allowing stores to provide free plastic bags for take-home groceries. The researchers assessed plastic bag sales by analyzing barcode scanner data related to consumer purchases.
“We expected positive spillover effects, such as consumers becoming more eco-conscious and reducing their consumption of single-use plastic and paper products,” stated Che, who is an associate professor at UCR’s School of Business. “However, the data showed the opposite; people ended up purchasing more plastic bags.”
Che noted that customers seemed to have been using the free grocery bags as liners for their household trash bins.
Despite this, it is likely that the bag regulations also encouraged some positive consumer habits, such as using reusable canvas or burlap bags for regular shopping, although the researchers did not have access to specific data in this area, Che commented.
The research indicated that the duration of a policy influences how long its associated behaviors persist.
The Dallas City Council implemented a 5-cent charge for single-use bags for five months in 2015 before retracting the fee due to lawsuits from plastic bag manufacturers. Once free bags were reintroduced, plastic bag sales dropped sharply at first but returned to pre-policy levels after 13 months.
Austin’s City Council introduced a ban on single-use carryout bags in 2013, which remained until 2018 when the Texas Supreme Court overturned such bans statewide following a ruling related to a similar prohibition in Laredo. After the ban was lifted, the lingering effect on plastic bag purchases reduced gradually, failing to revert to the pre-policy level even 18 months later. In fact, the carryover effect still showed a 38.6% increase above the baseline by the end of the analysis.
To evaluate the overall environmental impact, the research team performed a “break-even analysis” to see if the plastic bag policies, despite their adverse effects, did ultimately decrease plastic waste. They calculated how many fewer single-use grocery bags consumers would need to use to balance out the extra trash bags they started purchasing due to these rules. In Dallas, consumers would have to forgo one grocery bag for every seven trips, while in Austin, it would be one fewer bag for every five trips to achieve a neutral environmental impact.
This study adds to a growing pool of knowledge concerning the unintended effects of environmental regulations and provides insights relevant beyond just the issue of plastic bags, Che said.
“Although our research concentrated on plastic bags, similar spillover effects have been observed in policies addressing sugary drinks, energy efficiency, and health incentives,” Che explained. “In these instances, behaviors not specifically addressed by the policy—like buying more sugary snacks when soda is taxed—can counteract or even undermine the policy’s main objectives.”
