RETAIL DETAIL | Swedish retailer Ikea pledged to reduce plastic bag usage way before everybody else got on the plastic-is-our-enemy bandwagon.

Ikea’s program differs from other restrictions in that the company charges for bags if customers don’t bring a reusable bag and gives the money to AmericanForests, a non-profit environmental conservation organization. (Ikea sells a reusable bag for 59 cents.)

Ikea announced today it has given the group $300,000 since it began charging 5 cents per page in March of 2007.

From Ikea:

This contribution is 100% of the proceeds from disposable plastic bag salesand was earmarked for tree planting efforts to offset carbon emissions. Since the retailer began working with American Forests in 1998, together theyhave planted more than 725,000 trees — which is enough to offset approximately 100,000 tons of carbon emissions over the next 40 years.

I like how Ikea took an extra step to help the environment by supporting a charity. A lot of retailers are pushing greener living by offering reusable bags, but most leave it at that. On the other hand, the money Ikea has collected came from people (like me, by the way) who chose a disposable bag when shopping at the store. Costly habit, I guess!

Ikea also announced that by October 2008, it will not offer any disposable bags at its stores and expects customers to only use reusable bags. Again, the retailer is paving the way for others.