Clever Blog
Browse our latest Clever News!
There's always something going on that we can talk about.
Whether you need tips on print techniques and artwork specifications,
inspiration for your next project, or just want to read about the war on
single-use plastic, we've got you covered. But if you're just here to be
nosey about what we're up to, that's ok too. We won't judge.
Come have a browse of our latest Clever News!
Browse our latest Clever News!
There's always something going on that we can talk about.
Whether you need tips on print techniques and artwork specifications,
inspiration for your next project, or just want to read about the war on
single-use plastic, we've got you covered. But if you're just here to be
nosey about what we're up to, that's ok too. We won't judge.
Come have a browse of our latest Clever News!
Clever Blog
Browse our latest Clever News,
There's always something going on!
Get tips on print techniques and
artwork specifications, inspiration
for your next project, or learn about
the war on single-use plastic,
read here!
Browse our latest Clever News,
There's always something going on!
Get tips on print techniques and
artwork specifications, inspiration
for your next project, or learn about
the war on single-use plastic,
read here!
Tote Bags vs Plastic Bags
Posted on: 20/10/2021, 09:00
The Plastic Bag charge introduced in Wales 1st October 2011 was brought in with the purpose of reducing the number of plastic bags given out, increase their re-use rate and to reduce litter. And this has proven to be quite successful in reducing our usage. In fact, the first 3 years of implementing the charge Wales saw a 71% reduction in the number of single-use plastic bags supplied. (Wales Government, 2019). We’ve also seen a change in our habits regarding carrier bags. Many of us will opt to juggle our tins and necessities to our car rather than buying a carrier bag, or even keeping bags for life / tote bags in their car to have to hand for their big shop.
Success can be shared in England too! Their single-use plastic bag charge was introduced in October 2015, and since then single-use plastic bag consumption has fallen from 2.12 billion to 1.11 billion in 2019! (Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, 2019). This is a significant drop in the number of single-use carrier bags, if you compare this to the 7.6 billion that were given out to customers by major supermarkets alone in England in 2014.
Tote Bags
Here at The Clever Baggers our ethos is rooted in the provision of natural products that are ethically sourced, environmentally friendly and biodegradable. We also do our utmost to ensure our internal processes are streamlined and efficient as possible.
Some will argue against, but natural fibre tote bags are better for the environment as opposed to plastic bags. The average lifespan of our bags is many years (we have customers still using their bags after 12 years, and counting), but even when they do wear out, they can be torn up or shredded and put straight onto your compost heap.
Jute and hemp are also economical to grow and cultivate, making them ideal plants to harvest for materials (Evans, 2019). Unfortunately cotton needs water to grow, luckily, cotton plants are able to use available resources like rain to grow, and they receive a lot of rainfall where the cotton grows too! These plants such as jute, hemp and cotton also remove carbon from the atmosphere during their growth period. We have devoted a lot of time to ensure the products we buy have been produced in an environmentally and ethically sound manner.
By re-using our tote bags, you are helping to reduce the amount of single use plastic being used and inadvertently discarded into the environment. 😊
References
Wales Government., (2019), The Sale and Use of Carrier Bags in Wales. Retrieved from -https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-12/sale-and-use-of-carrier-bags-in-wales-summary.pdf
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs., (2019). Single-use plastic carrier bags charge: data in England for 2018 to 2019. Retrieved from - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carrier-bag-charge-summary-of-data-in-england/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-charge-data-in-england-for-2018-to-2019
Evans, D., (2019). Why Are Cloth Bags Better Than Plastic? Retrieved from - https://plastic.education/why-are-cloth-bags-better-than-plastic/
Here at The Clever Baggers our ethos is rooted in the provision of natural products that are ethically sourced, environmentally friendly and biodegradable. We also do our utmost to ensure our internal processes are streamlined and efficient as possible.
Some will argue against, but natural fibre tote bags are better for the environment as opposed to plastic bags. The average lifespan of our bags is many years (we have customers still using their bags after 12 years, and counting), but even when they do wear out, they can be torn up or shredded and put straight onto your compost heap.
Jute and hemp are also economical to grow and cultivate, making them ideal plants to harvest for materials (Evans, 2019). Unfortunately cotton needs water to grow, luckily, cotton plants are able to use available resources like rain to grow, and they receive a lot of rainfall where the cotton grows too! These plants such as jute, hemp and cotton also remove carbon from the atmosphere during their growth period. We have devoted a lot of time to ensure the products we buy have been produced in an environmentally and ethically sound manner.
By re-using our tote bags, you are helping to reduce the amount of single use plastic being used and inadvertently discarded into the environment. 😊
References
Wales Government., (2019), The Sale and Use of Carrier Bags in Wales. Retrieved from -https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-12/sale-and-use-of-carrier-bags-in-wales-summary.pdf
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs., (2019). Single-use plastic carrier bags charge: data in England for 2018 to 2019. Retrieved from - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carrier-bag-charge-summary-of-data-in-england/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-charge-data-in-england-for-2018-to-2019
Evans, D., (2019). Why Are Cloth Bags Better Than Plastic? Retrieved from - https://plastic.education/why-are-cloth-bags-better-than-plastic/
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