The Aldo Group, a Canadian-based footwear and accessories company, announced that both Aldo and Call It Spring (a brand of the group's portfolio) will phase out all single-use shopping bags from corporate stores globally, as part of the company's continued efforts in sustainability. The new initiative encourages customers to opt for an eco-designed shoebox made from recycled material and with a built-in handle that makes single-use bags obsolete.

"Over a decade ago, we introduced a shoebox with a rope as a first step to making our packaging more sustainable and guide our customers to better shopping habits. We now believe that our consumers are ready to accept our boxes as the solution to carry their shoes home", commented David Bensadoun, Chief Executive Officer of the Aldo Group, concluding: "The elimination of 10 million single-use bags is a major step in our long-term commitment to sustainability and is just one piece of the puzzle we are working on."

As a way of celebrating the initiative, Aldo will be revealing unique activations this August in New York and London. On the 9th of August, in partnership with Plant the Future, and taking inspiration from nearby Central Park, Aldo will transform its Broadway location in New York into an environmental activation that showcases the impact that the Aldo brand has by eliminating single-use bags: approximately 8 500 trees saved per year, roughly 1/3 of the 26 000 trees currently found in the park. The store will also be completely paperless during the activation, from receipts to marketing signage. The initiative will be mirrored in London on the 29^th of August, taking Hyde Park as inspiration.

The company claims this to be the natural next step in its mission to reduce its environmental footprint, after being the first fashion footwear and accessories company in the world to be certified climate neutral. The other brand of the group, Call It Spring recently became fully vegan, removing all animal materials from its entire product range.