Alternative Solutions

Paper Bags

Paper bags have been used as substitutes for plastic bags for years, only to be found to be even more hazardous to the environment than the plastic bags they should be replacing.

Pollution
Unlike plastic bags, paper bags degrade within a few years in comparison to the hundreds (even thousands!) of years it takes for plastic bags to decompose. However, paper bags pose a bigger hazard to the environment as they cause 70% more air pollution in their manufacturing process than manufacturing plastic, as well as 50 times marine pollution!

Also, while paper bag manufacturing depletes 60% more greenhouse gases than plastic bag factories, the material from which they are made – namely, trees – need to be cut down. This poses another problem due to the fact that trees are the major absorbents of greenhouse gases.

Reusable Bags

Reusable bags are the new trend in the eco-friendly bag scene. Various countries have begun implementing the use of these bags in retail stores and grocery shopping. These bags are made from spun-bonded polypropylene (PP) or from cotton, and retailers are urging consumers to buy and re-use them on their next shopping visit. Though they boast eco-friendliness, PP is still plastic, and is not by any means biodegradable. In essence, use of PP is no different than the use of conventional plastic bags; the actual ecological benefit is only achieved through the fact that customers are not consuming these plastic bags at the rate they were consuming regular plastic bags.

The cotton bags prove to be more expensive than the PP bags, and buying enough bags to accommodate a typical shopping trip to the super-market is so far proving to be a very unpractical solution.

Also, though this is a very popular trend, shining a “we’ve gone green” light on retailers’ businesses, consumers are somewhat frustrated by this new form of shopping especially because it disrupts their regular shopping behavior and forces them now to pay the price for the stores’ eco-friendly approach.