Our bags are made from non-woven polypropylene (NWPP), a material that is strong, flexible, washable, available in a wide variety of colours and is completely recyclable –usually into car dashboards. It is petrochemical based, but sits towards the bottom of the Greenpeace pyramid of plastics, alongside PET (lemonade bottles) and just above starch based biodegradable plastics.
They are not biodegradable, so we don’t want you to be dumping them, we want you to keep using them. The standard Go Green Bag replaces 3 to 4 thin supermarket carriers and should last for 2 years.
Beware of Cheaper Versions: Go Green Bags are exceptional value for money (from as little as 65 pence wholesale) but you may find cheaper versions on offer.
All our bags are made from 100 gsm NWPP. You will find thinner bags on the market, but we will not compromise on quality. If they are cheaper, you must also consider where they are made. The NWPP market is almost entirely in China and India with all the issues that entails. Our factory (in China) is a modern co-operative owned by the staff, run along ethical lines and does not employ anyone aged under 16. We inspect it ourselves and do not rely on third party assurances. We are going through a similar rigorous process for a new supplier in India and will always ensure our high standards are met.
What about the alternatives?
We have chosen NWPP as the preferred material for our bags, this is because we feel that with the volume of bags that will be needed to replace the 6 micron thin supermarket style bag we should not be asking other countries to “grow” bags for us with all the problems of water and pesticide use that this involves. However, to help you make your choice here are some points to consider on the alternatives.
Cotton and Jute
Natural materials and regarded as eco-friendly. Jute is very hard wearing and generally used for larger capacity bags. It usually comes in the traditional brownish or other muted colours and can be printed, but the material is very rough and can snag clothes. It is biodegradable, provided it has not been laminated (many are to prolong their lifespan). Can be smelly when wet.
Cotton has a nicer feel to it and it takes print very well. It’s not as strong as jute or NWPP and tends to be a smaller bag, which lends itself very well to being rolled up and carried around in a handbag for impulse purchases. It is biodegradable, but can shrink when washed.
The major consideration is the production of these bags. Cotton in particular is a very heavy user of water, which if demand keeps increasing at the current rate will be diverted from food use. Both cotton and jute are heavily treated with pesticides. And working conditions, both in the growing and production can be appalling.
But I use Organic/Fair Trade products. These tend to be more expensive (£5 for a cotton bag). That’s fine for small volume but Fair Trade production cannot provide the volume of crops needed to satisfy demand without the land being diverted from other natural crops, which could include food. And water remains an issue.
Paper
On the face of it seems like a good idea. It is cheap, can be well printed, is biodegradable and you can use recycled paper. There are still UK suppliers and you can get short runs and fast lead times. But it is not strong, is bulky to transport and aside from the issue of replenishing trees, paper uses a massive amount of water and energy in production.
Biodegradable Plastic
May be needed in some cases such as for food use, but we want to encourage recycling. If people think the bags will degrade (and the jury is out to the extent to which this happens in some cases), they will still dispose of them rather than reuse them.
Others
There are a number of other bags available –Onya bags, from parachute silk, from £6 each, Turtle String bags, from £5, bags made from juice cartons (£15+), plus various others, lots of great designs and materials, but expensive for bulk shopping needs.
Technical info. from Greenpeace site.
Polyolefins such as Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) are simpler polymer structures that do not need plasticizers, although they do use additives such as UV and heat stabilizers, antioxidants and in some applications flame retardants. The polyolefins pose fewer risks and have the highest potential for mechanical recycling. Both PE and PP are versatile and cheap, and can be designed to replace almost all PVC applications. PE can be made either hard, or very flexible, without the use of plasticizers. PP is easy to mold and can also be used in a wide range of applications.
In comparison with PVC, PE and PP use fewer problematic additives, have reduced leaching potential in landfills, reduced potential for dioxin formation during burning (provided that brominated/chlorinated flame retardants are not used), and reduced technical problems and costs during recycling.
Bio-based Polymers Biodegradable plastics from renewable sources (bio-based) are seen as a promising alternative for plastic products which have a short life cycle or are impractical to recycle, such as food packaging, agricultural plastics and other disposables.
Bio-based plastics can be made out of products obtained from raw materials produced by a natural living or growing systems, such as starch and cellulose. The advantage of bio-polymers is that they readily degrade and can be composted. Natural polymers include cellulose (from wood, cotton), horn (hardened protein) and raw rubber. Converted natural polymers include vulcanized rubber, vulcanized fibre, celluloid and casein protein.
