What is Shopping Bag Fabric and Why Do We Use Them?

The numbers are staggering: an estimated five trillion plastic bags are produced worldwide each year (yes, trillion), and in the United States, approximately 500 billion plastic bags are thrown away. From the grocery store, take-out restaurants, clothing departments, gas stations, home improvement stores — you name it —  cashiers are trained to place your purchases in a plastic bag. The practice has been become ingrained in modern culture, but as we become more aware of the damaging effects of plastic on our environment, many states and local municipalities have begun to ban single-use plastics bags, and consumers are seeking out alternative options. 

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As many shoppers switch to paper and reusable bags, it’s important to note that not all shopping bags are the same, and some options are more sustainable than others. The devil is in the details, so when considering the many types of grocery bags on the market, which are the better options?

Clear plastic shopping bags

Although plastic shopping bags are typically recyclable, they are only very rarely actually recycled. Photo: Herald Sun

First, let’s look at a classic, virgin plastic grocery bag, which is often made of HDPE plastic (#2), a completely recyclable type of plastic. This sounds great, but plastic bags are not accepted in curbside recycling bins because they can get caught in separation equipment and any contaminates are difficult to remove. As a result, only about five percent of plastic bags in the United States are recycled and 10 percent are incinerated, leaving an abysmal 85 percent headed to a landfill (or ending up in our waterways). However, they don’t have to! Many grocery store chains (including Target, Walmart, Winn Dixie, and Publix), offer drop boxes right out front to recycle plastic grocery bags (and other plastics).

The end-of-life of the plastic bag is not the only part of its life cycle to consider. Manufacturing the bags first requires extracting raw materials like crude oil and refining it. Surprisingly, the process to produce one plastic bag releases fewer greenhouse gases and uses less water than other options – but this doesn’t factor in the impact of the bag after the consumer is done with it, or the immediate damage caused to a natural habitat by drilling into the earth.  

Paper bags

Paper shopping bags might seem like a better alternative, but making them is environmentally costly. Photo: The Post-Crescent 

Back in the old days, using paper bags was commonplace in grocery stores, but they all but disappeared in the 80s when plastic bags hit the market. Paper bags are seeing a resurgence and have many advantages: they’re compostable and are often accepted for curbside recycling programs (if they’re free of contaminants). Paper isn’t exactly eco-friendly though, and in the United States alone, 14 million trees are cut down annually to make shopping bags that are often used only once. 

Deforestation isn’t the only issue: manufacturing a paper bag requires the same carbon footprint as driving a car about 17 miles and uses twice the energy to make as a plastic bag and five times the amount of water. If you’re using paper bags, try to get ones made from 100 percent (or a high percentage) of recycled materials and reuse them whenever possible. 

Non-woven polypropylene bags

NWPP bags are an affordable option and are a good choice if you're planning on reusing them several times. Photo: HuaHao

You’ll probably recognize non-woven polypropylene (NWPP) shopping bags as the inexpensive reusable bags at the check-out aisle (often with the grocery store’s logo on them). They’re made from a non-woven plastic textile (polypropylene) that’s created by heating and spinning the plastic and have the feel of a lightweight canvas. These are often offered at a low cost, enticing shoppers who forget their reusable bags at home. 

While this sounds like a good option, the problem is, this often that leads to excessive purchasing of reusable bags, and because they are made with plastic, they are not biodegradable. Although the bags are durable and washable, they run the risk of shedding microplastics, tiny particles that pollute our waterways. Technically, non-woven bags are recyclable (plastic #5), but in practice, many recycling centers may not accept them. 

Although the environmental impacts of production are more than single-use plastic bags, it’s estimated that it only takes 11 uses to level the playing field with classic plastic bags. Overall, non-woven bags are one of the better choices if they are purchased sparingly, reused frequently, and recycled properly.  

Cardboard boxes

Consider using cardboard boxes (often available for free at stores that sell a lot of produce) for your shopping. Photo: Happy Hearts

In the era of online shopping, chances are you may have a stash of cardboard boxes from Amazon or other online retailers, but before you break them down for recycling, consider taking them with you to the grocery store.  

Although many budget grocery store chains charge extra for shopping bags, they often have a collection of boxes in the front of the store (leftovers from truck deliveries) that customers can use. The drawback of cardboard is the boxes can be bulky to store in your home, but if you’ve got the space, reusing existing cardboard boxes is an excellent alternative to buying new shopping bags. 

Bamboo bags

Making bags out of bamboo sounds eco-friendly, but is it? Photo: Custom Grocery Bags

Bamboo has been labeled as an eco-friendly material, and when it comes to bamboo toothbrushes, hairbrushes, and other items made from sustainably harvested bamboo, it is. Bamboo is a rapidly growing grass that absorbs carbon dioxide and has been viewed as a better choice than plastic or wood. 

However, when it comes to bamboo fabrics, this is not the case. Manufacturing these textiles involves extracting the cellulose from bamboo pulp, and most bamboo fabrics are actually viscose, a semi-synthetic material generated from a method that relies heavily on toxic chemicals. Although the bamboo materials are biodegradable at the end of life, the manufacturing uses significant amounts of energy, making this a less-than-ideal choice in a reusable bag.  

Hemp totes 

Hemp has a variety of uses! When it comes to making tote bags, it's a great choice as it uses less resources than cotton.

Hemp fabric is an extremely sustainable option for reusable shopping bags, although it’s not as widely used because the fiber come from cannabis sativa, a plant that’s highly regulated. Hemp uses significantly less water than manufacturing cotton, does not require pesticides, and is fully biodegradable. Hemp plants are also carbon sinks that absorb large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. 

Plus, it’s extremely durable, meaning there’s minimal risk of your groceries spilling out onto the pavement. One drawback is that hemp has a rougher texture, so synthetic materials may be used to soften it, and due to its odor, it's often treated with bleach (or other chemicals). Organic hemp shopping bags tend to be on the pricier side, but if you’re willing to make the investment, they can be a great option.

DIY and upcycled shopping bags

Two examples of bags made from other materials, both available on Etsy: left, leather tote; right, denim tote. 

It’s estimated that 85 percent of textile waste goes to landfills, so another shopping bag alternative (if you’re crafty) is to make your own reusable bags from leftover scrap fabrics. Using existing materials rather than buying new is always a better choice, and there are loads of creative, reusable shopping bags on the market that are made from upcycled materials. Etsy is a great place to search for totes made from recycled plastic bottles, dog food bags, or even pool floats. 

Cotton tote bags

Our very own cotton canvas totes, which come with side pockets that everyone seems to love. 

Cotton is made from natural, renewable materials, allowing it to biodegrade in about five months — where plastic can remain for hundreds of years. While many believe that cotton totes are the best option, creating cotton canvas requires a tremendous amount of water and produces significantly more waste during production than one classic HDPE plastic bag. 

However, the sticking point is that consumers use their durable cotton tote bags multiple times for things other than groceries, where most single-use plastic grocery store bags have a lifespan of about 12 minutes (in fact, the average family uses about 1,500 plastic bags per year). 

If you plan to use and reuse your cotton tote bags to help offset environmental costs (it takes hundreds of uses to do so), Element Brooklyn’s organic cotton canvas tote is a heavy-duty work horse that’s designed to withstand everyday wear and tear. It’s also built with side pockets (great for wine bottles), and can also be used as a grocery bag, shower bag, or beach bag.   

Final thoughts

Whatever refillable hand soap option you choose, it’s another forward step in your sustainability journey. Rethinking how we shop for everyday products can help to shift the narrative, so our society becomes more focused on reducing the production of new materials by reusing what we already have. 

Shopping bag designed to be kept and reused by consumers

A reusable shopping bag, sometimes called a bag for life in the UK,[1][2] is a type of shopping bag which can be reused many times, in contrast to single-use paper or plastic shopping bags. It is often a tote bag made from fabric such as canvas, natural fibres such as jute, woven synthetic fibers, or a thick plastic that is more durable than disposable plastic bags, allowing multiple use. Other shoppers may use a string bag or a wheeled trolley bag. They are often sold in supermarkets and apparel shops.

Reusable bags require more energy to produce than common plastic shopping bags. One reusable bag requires the same amount of energy as an estimated 28 traditional plastic shopping bags or eight paper bags. A study commissioned by the United Kingdom Environment Agency in found that the average cotton bag is used only 51 times before being thrown away.[3] In some cases, reusable bags need to be used over 100 times before they are better for the environment than single-use plastic bags.[4]

History

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United States

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First introduced in the US in , plastic shopping bags for bagging groceries at stores flourished in the s and s, replacing paper bags.[5] In s, governments in some countries started to impose taxes on distribution of disposable plastic bags or to regulate the use of them. Some supermarkets have encouraged shoppers to stop using disposable plastic bags, by for example offering inexpensive reusable shopping bags or providing information on plastic bags' environmental damage.[6] The physical shape of reusable shopping bags is often different than was typical before the prevalence of plastic bags.[citation needed] The apparel industry promotes reusable shopping bags as sustainable fashion.

Many supermarkets encourage the use of reusable shopping bags to increase sales and profit margins. Most non woven bags cost $0.10–0.25 to produce but are sold for $0.99–$3.00.[7] As stores receive diminishing returns due to saturated markets, there are concerns that prices will drop and they will become the new single-use bag. Some major supermarket chains have string or calico bags available for sale. They are sold with announcement of environmental issues in many cases. The ones sold in supermarkets often have designs related to nature, such as prints of trees or that of the earth, in order to emphasize environmental issues. One startup company out of Duluth, Minnesota, embroiders their bags with their local Aerial Lift Bridge on it.[8] Some supermarkets have rewards programs for customers who bring their own shopping bags. When the customers collect a certain number of points, they can usually get discount coupons or gifts, which motivate customers to reduce plastic bag use. Some retailers such as Whole Foods Market and Target offer a cash discount for bringing in reusable bags.[9][10]

Since , 6.25 billion reusable bags were imported into the United States for resale and give-aways under Harmonized Tariff Code (HTC) as reported by the United States International Trade Commission.[11]

Most U.S. grocery store customers do not bring their own bags, and many reusable bags go unused by customers, according to a article in the Wall Street Journal.[12]

In , Walmart Stores proposed turning three California stores into reusable-bag-only stores.[13] Concurrently, Walmart was prepared to introduce a $0.15 reusable bag. On 23 October , Walmart abandoned plans to remove carrier bags and introduced the new lower-cost bags.[citation needed] In contrast to previous bags sold at $0.99 and $0.50, these lower cost bags may reduce price incentive to reuse these heavier-duty bags.[original research?]

United Kingdom

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Reusable shopping bags are offered in most British supermarkets. These are sold for a nominal sum, usually 10 pence, and are replaced for free. The bags are more durable than standard bags, meaning that they can be reused many times over.

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The main purpose of this is to ensure that packaging waste legislation was met and to encourage the bags to be recycled (which usually earns the retailer a small amount of money per bag), and unlike with 5p carrier bags there is a (small) financial incentive to bring the bags back for recycling, lessening the environmental impact.

In contrast to most spartan carrier bags, bags for life tend to be colourful and sometimes show some aspect of the supermarket's advertising. Some supermarkets maintain the same design for years at a time, whereas some, like Waitrose, rotate the designs to tie in with either the season or the most recent advertising campaign.

Waitrose was the first British supermarket to launch Bag For Life in association with British Polythene Industries. It was the brainchild of Gini Ekstein, from British Polythene industries. Gini Ekstein with Paul Oustedal and Nick Jones, of Waitrose, launched Bag For Life in .[14] It was the first closed-loop recycling initiative; returned and broken bags are made into black benches places outside Waitrose stores. The initial marketing messages designed by Ekstein and by Beth Chiles of Message Marketing are still in use today. Later on, Sainsbury's and other supermarkets introduced the bag for life. In the UK Government introduced a tax on all carrier bags, which meant that every consumer would pay 5p for any carrier bag from any "large retailer" store.[15]

The increasing use of jute and juco bags (a mix of cotton and jute) has provided a natural alternative to single-use plastic bags and reusable plastic bags. These are found in many of the major supermarkets, and over 50 million have been sold in the UK alone.[citation needed] These bags have a 3–4 year lifespan and so are often seen as the ecological option. Jute bags have become a crossover product from an alternative to plastics to a fashion/shopper accessory. Jute bags will last for about 4 years and if used correctly will replace over 600 single bags. At end of life, they can be used as planters for growing garden vegetables.[citation needed]

Ireland

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In Ireland, they were introduced in March , when the Plastic Bag Environmental Levy was brought in to reduce the massive amount of disposable bags being used annually. Bags costing 70 euro cents or more are exempt from the levy.[16]

Australia and New Zealand

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Introduced in the s, these bags are known as green bags in Australia due to their relative environmental friendliness and usual (though far from universal) green colour. Green bags and similar reusable shopping bags are commonly distributed at the point of sale by supermarkets and other retail outlets. They are intended to be reused repeatedly to replace the use of hundreds of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bags. Most green bags are made of 100% non-woven polypropylene (NWPP),[17] which is recyclable but not biodegradable. Some companies claim to be making NWPP bags from recycled material; however, with current manufacturing techniques this is not possible. All NWPP bags are made from virgin material.[citation needed] Similar bags are made of jute, canvas, calico or hemp but are not discussed here. A typical base insert is 200 mm (8") × 300 mm (12") and weighs 30 g (1 oz). It is generally made of a stiff plastic.

Food safety

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Most reusable bag shoppers do not wash their bags once they return home, and the bags may be leading to food poisoning, according to Dr. Richard Summerbell, research director at Toronto-based Sporometrics and former chief of medical mycology for the Ontario Ministry of Health.[18] Because of their repeated exposure to raw meats and vegetables, there is an increased risk of foodborne illness. A study of bags, sponsored by the Environmental and Plastics Industry Council of Canada, found mold and bacterial levels in one reusable bag to be 300% greater than the levels that would be considered safe in drinking water.[19][20] The study does not differentiate between non-hemp bags and hemp bags, which have natural antimildew and antimicrobial properties.[21]

A joint University of Arizona and Limo Loma University study (sponsored by the American Chemistry Council, a trade group that advocates on behalf of disposable plastic bag manufacturers) they found that "Reusable grocery bags can be a breeding ground for dangerous foodborne bacteria and pose a serious risk to public health".[22] The study found that 97% of users did not wash them and that greater than 50% of the 84 bags contained coliform (a bacterium found in fecal material), while E. coli was found in 12% of the bags.[23] The study made the following recommendations:

1. States should consider requiring printed instructions on reusable bags indicating they need to cleaned or bleached between uses.
2. State and local governments should invest in a public education campaign to alert the public about risk and prevention.
3. When using reusable bags, consumers should be careful to separate raw foods from other food products.
4. Consumers should not use reusable food bags for other purposes such as carrying books or gym clothes.
5. Consumers should not store meat or produce in the trunks of their cars because the higher temperature promotes growth of bacteria, which can contaminate reusable bags.

The study further showed that machine or hand washing even without the presence of bleach was effective in reducing coliform and other bacteria in the bags to levels below detection.[23]

A Consumer Reports article criticized the study, calling into question the small sample size of bags examined in the study and the questionable danger of the type and amount of bacteria found. Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist at Consumers Union, stated "A person eating an average bag of salad greens gets more exposure to these bacteria than if they had licked the insides of the dirtiest bag from this study". He comments that reusable shopping bags are acceptable if washed occasionally, but that some foods, such as poultry, fish, and meat, should be put in disposable shopping bags due to how easily bacteria can be spread.[24]

Product safety

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In September , "Wegmans Food Markets Inc., owner of a chain of East Coast supermarkets, announced it would replace reusable shopping bags after a consumer group found the sacks had high levels of lead."[25] Bloomberg News also stated that the high levels were related to two specific designs, totaling more than 725,000 bags.

After a report in the Tampa Tribune[26] in November found that elevated levels of lead were found in similar reusable bags, the Food and Drug Administration opened an investigation responding to calls by U.S. environmental and consumer groups, as well as U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, to investigate the reusable bags commonly distributed by grocery stores and large retail chains.[27] Winn-Dixie recalled their bags after they were directly cited in the investigation.[28]

In December , Canadian-based athletic retailer Lululemon Athletica recalled complimentary reusable bags distributed since November because "environmental concerns were raised over the proper disposal of reusable bags due to lead content."[29] Sears' Canadian stores announced a recall on reusable bags because of similar findings on January 6, .[30] On January 12, , The Center for Environmental Health announced Disney-themed bags from U.S. grocery chain Safeway have been found to contain levels of lead 15 to 17 times the current federal limit of 300ppm.[31] Safeway recalled bags that had been identified as containing high levels of lead in late January .

In January , USA Today ran an article based on a report from the Center for Consumer Freedom, a front group for the "hospitality industries", that bags sold in the U.S. by Bloom, Giant, Giant Eagle, Safeway, Walgreens, and other grocery chains and retailers contained levels of lead in excess of 100 parts per million, the maximum amount allowed under law in many U.S. states. They have not produced their testing methods and data, and many organizations feel this was an attempt to discredit the use of reusable bags.[32] Bloom stopped distributing the bags due to toxicity levels prior to the study, but did not recall the bags.[33]

Other concerns have been raised about the safety of reusable bags due to infrequent washing and the presence of bacteria.[34]

In May , Oregon Public Health published a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, traced an outbreak of the dangerous norovirus to a reusable grocery bag that members of a Beaverton girls' soccer team passed around when they shared cookies.[35][36][37]

Legislation

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Some governments have encouraged or required the use of reusable shopping bags through the regulation of plastic bags with bans, recycling mandates, taxes or fees.[38] The legislation to discourage plastic bag use has been passed in parts of Hong Kong, Ireland, South Africa, the United States, Canada, and Taiwan.

In , the Australian federal government studied the use of throwaway plastic bags and threatened to outlaw them if retailers did not voluntarily discourage their use. In , the government negotiated with the Australian Retailers Association a voluntary progressive reduction of plastic bag use which led to a number of initiatives, including the widespread distribution and promotion of Green Bags.[39]

In , San Luis Obispo County, CA outlawed disposable plastic bags and began requiring shoppers to bring their own bags or pay a 10 cent per bag fee for paper bags.[40] In , the District of Columbia began requiring a 5¢ fee for each disposable bag.[41] In , Portland, Oregon began mandated programs to eliminate disposable checkout bags.[42]In , California banned sale of all plastic bags at grocery checkouts.[43] The legislation, Senate Bill , closed a loophole that previously allowed thicker plastic "reusable" bags. It takes effect in January , requiring retailers to stop offering all plastic checkout bags. Starting in , only paper bags made with at least 50% post-consumer recycled content will be allowed.[44][45][46] According to state data, plastic bag waste per capita in California rose by 47% from to , despite earlier bans.

In , the Canadian province of Quebec voted in a program to ban disposable bags, but the program must be adopted by each municipality.[47][48] Toronto had tried a similar program, but was eliminated after a short time.[49]

Recent developments

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In recent years, many reusable shopping bags have been made from recycled materials such as PET (recycled plastic bottles) and non-woven polypropylene.[citation needed] These materials are lightweight, durable, and water-resistant, making them a practical alternative to single-use plastic bags.[citation needed]

Retailers around the world increasingly offer reusable bags as part of corporate sustainability initiatives.[citation needed] For example, major supermarket chains in the UK and Australia have phased out free plastic bags entirely, encouraging customers to bring or purchase reusable options.[citation needed]

Fashion trend

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Because of the encouragement of reusable shopping bags by governments and supermarkets, reusable shopping bags have become one of the new fashion trends. The apparel industry also contributed to making it popular to have fashionable reusable shopping bags instead of disposable plastic bags. In , British designer Anya Hindmarch's $15 "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" (an unbleached cotton bag) sold out in one day, and fetched $800 on the Internet.[50] The brand Envirosax started out producing reusable shopping bags, but have expanded their lines with more color and pattern options, in addition to licensing properties like Sesame Street.

Environmental concerns,[51] Ostalgie (nostalgia for East Germany), and a general fashion for retro style have led to the resurgence, in all parts of Germany, of what was once considered the frumpy Omas Einkaufsnetz (Grandma's shopping net).[52][53] The DDR Museum in Berlin has a collection of Einskaufsnetz, and the bags are now often sold as DDR kult Klassiker (East German cult classics).[54][53]

In terms of consumer behaviour, use of reusable bags is positively correlated with organic purchases and with self-indulgent purchases such as ice cream or cookies.[55][clarification needed]

Select types

[edit] Type Bio degradable Anti microbial Insulating (Thermal bag) Jute Yes No No Hemp Yes Yes No Synthetic Textiles No Yes No Nonwoven fabric, Tyvek, etc. No Yes No

Evaluations

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Several methods are available to objectively determine if reusable shopping bags (including handles) are indeed reusable. There is a published protocol for testing laboratories involving a 10 kg (22 lb) test load being subjected to a series of static and dynamic laboratory tests.[56]

Other evaluators have used "walk tests" of people carrying bags with 10 kg (22 lb) of mixed loads for a distance of 175 feet (approx. 50 meters). Many repetitions of the walk cycle for each bag are conducted; periodic washing machine cleanings are included.[57]

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References

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Further reading

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