Swedish plastic bag use jumps 45% after 2024 tax repeal

Keep Sweden Tidy reports that use of plastic carrier bags covered by Sweden's national reduction target rose 45% to 248 million in 2025 compared with 2023, after the government abolished the plastic bag tax in November 2024. Use of thin bags for fruit and vegetables rose 65% year on year, and total single-use plastic bag use exceeded 400 million in 2025, with the NGO warning of increased littering.

Why this mattersThe reversal shows a fiscal levy's removal can quickly undo demand reduction, a signal for other markets weighing plastic bag taxes or their repeal.

• 248 million plastic carrier bags covered by Sweden's national reduction target were used in 2025, up 45% versus 2023
• Sweden abolished its plastic bag tax in November 2024
• Use of very thin plastic bags for fruit and vegetables rose 65% in 2025 versus 2024
• Total single-use plastic bag use in Sweden exceeded 400 million units in 2025
• Keep Sweden Tidy Foundation published the data in a press release

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