Plastic Bag Vs. Eco Bags

Plastic bags are harmful to the environment, and all of us know this. But why are we still using them and why are shops still giving them away? If eco-friendly and reusable bags made from non-woven polypropylene (NWPP) are indeed perfect alternatives to plastic bags, then why is it that not all stores have adopted them yet?

Because not all companies know about green bags yet. Or if they do, they haven't realized that the benefits of using a green bag far outweigh the benefits of using a plastic carry bag.

Let's try to compare both bags, and see their pros and cons.

1. Plastic bags are cheaper and more affordable than NWPP bags.

According to the American Plastics Council, plastic bags are so cheap to produce that they have captured at least 80% of the grocery and convenience store market since they were introduced a quarter century ago. Open plastic bags with carrying handles are used in large numbers worldwide, especially since stores consider them as worth nothing, and they'd provide them as a convenience to shoppers.

Yes, green bags are more costly to produce. However, think of the long-term benefit or think of it at a promotional point of view. Unlike the one-time use plastic bags, NWPP bags can be used a number of times before they get worn out. They are also flexible enough to carry a variety of items. And the more we can use the green bag, the more exposure for the business whose logo is printed on it. Not to mention that using these multi-use NWPP bags to advertise your brand is way cheaper than paying an advertising firm to produce a TV commercial for you or paying the national daily to have your company regularly advertised on the classifieds.

2. Plastic bags are more convenient in certain ways.

Plastic bags can be used to pick doggie doo, pack lunch or anything that smells, and line trashcans. NWPP tote bags, on the other hand, look too nice (and are too expensive) for such usage.

Yes, these are actually stuff where reusing plastic bags would be perfect. But then again, there are also many things where it's more convenient and practical to use NWPP tote bags than it is to use the plastic ones.

3. Plastics bags are incredible pollutants.

There are many other things that plastic bags do, which NWPP tote bags don't. Plastic bags clutter landfills, flap from trees, float in the breeze, clog roadside drains, drift on the high seas (and get eaten by sea turtles). Many studies have also shown that like candy wrappers, cigarette butts, chewing gum, and thousands of other pieces of junk, millions of the plastic bags end up as litter. Once they are in the environment, it takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to break down. And as they decompose, toxic bits seep into soils, lakes, rivers, and the oceans.

NWPP carry bags, on the other hand, are known to be environment-friendly. They are 100% reusable and recyclable. When these highly durable carry bags finally wear out, you will find recycling points in strategic locations to make it easy for you to hand them in to be recycled into yet another product. That means that the life of a green bag is even longer than anybody thought. Green bags are also more fashionable to carry around compared to plastic bags.

Yes, we admit that the comparisons we made between the two kinds of bags have not been fair. We are more in favor of the eco-friendly bags than the plastic ones. But hey, it wasn't a fair fight to begin with anyway.