Boots is set to phase out all plastic bags from its stores and replace them with brown paper bags across all its stores.
The popular high street chemist chain says it will be the first national pharmacy brand to make the move next year.
The company said 53 stores will lose plastic bags at checkouts from Monday, with all 2,485 sites only offering customers paper bags from early next year.
Managing director Seb James said the decision means 900 tonnes of plastic will be removed from his stores as a result.
He added: "Plastic waste is undoubtedly one of the most important issues around the world today, with TV shows like Blue Planet highlighting the effects of plastic pollution.
"This year, we are transforming Boots as we celebrate 170 years, and the move to unbleached paper bags is another pivotal moment in that journey.
"There is no doubt that our customers expect us to act and this change signifies a huge step away from our reliance on plastic."
The company recently conducted research on 6,000 Boots customers which showed the depth of feeling for removing plastic.
According to the findings, 92% of customers were concerned about the number of plastic bags used in the UK and 94% agreed it was a good idea to move to paper bags.
Boots says it intends a full roll-out to 2,485 stores by early 2020.
'The new paper bags have been carefully tested'
Helen Normoyle, director of marketing at Boots UK, added: “We have seen a significant shift in our customers’ attitudes towards plastics and recycling in recent years - there’s never been a more important time to show our customers that we’re taking action to reduce our impact.
"Our new paper bags have been carefully tested to make sure that over their entire lifecycle they are better for the environment, whilst still being a sturdy, practical option for customers who haven’t bought their own bags with them when shopping.”
The announcement has come just a month after customers called on Boots to ditch plastic packaging after it was confirmed some prescriptions which were dispensed centrally - mainly repeat prescriptions - were placed in plastic.
The company said this was due to the plastic being more robust and helped protect confidential information when in transit.
The new Boots bags are made from unbleached, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified recycled brown paper. They are printed with water-based inks so the bags can be recycled at home.
There will be small, medium and large paper bags available for 5p, 7p and 10p, with profits going to BBC Children in Need.
