Forcing retail insurance holders to charge for carrier bags would not be beneficial, it has been suggested.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) claimed that the plans to reduce bag use in Wales will not be enough to change consumer behaviour in how they use plastic bags.
According to the group, encouraging retail insurance customers to take voluntary action over carrier bag use is the best approach, as the proposed solution would cost Welsh consumers between £22 million and £36 million each year.
Furthermore, the BRC pointed out that retail insurance holders know their own customers and would be better tailoring their strategies to meet the needs and tastes of their particular demographic.
Jane Milne, BRC environment director, commented: "Carrier bags have a trivial environmental impact but they've been seized on as a symbol of our use of resources.
"The key to achieving lasting change in behaviour is retailers taking customers with them in ways they find acceptable."
Recently, the BRC claimed that retail insurance customers are committed to reducing the amount of waste caused by packaging and said that forcing the industry to publically report data on this could cause problems.
