Shopping Bags

Paper Bags

Paper bags (introduced in U.S. stores in 1883) are seen by some environmentalists and consumers as a more-sustainable choice for shopping. Given the right conditions in a landfill, paper bags can break down more quickly than plastic bags. An average paper bag can hold about four times the amount of items compared to smaller, plastic bags. One drawback, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is their production costs. It takes approximately 40 percent more energy to produce paper bags than plastic ones, it requires more energy to deliver them due to their higher weight than plastic, and paper bags take up more space in landfills.

Plastic Bags

Plastic bags were first introduced in U.S. stores in 1977. They make up 90 percent of all bags used by consumers in grocery stores. They have been the subject of environmental scrutiny because of their ubiquity and associated environmental impacts. Over 100 billion plastic bags end up in U.S. landfills every year, with an estimated one trillion plastic bags used worldwide annually. In the United Kingdom, the biodegradable shopping bag has become an option for retailers. This bag is composed of oxo-degradable plastics or bioplastics, which means that it can decompose in three years, compared to a traditional plastic bag, which can take 100 or more years to decompose. The bags do have their critics, including those who worry that the bags need optimal environmental conditions to degrade effectively and those who argue that the bags will expose the environment to potentially harmful by-products, including certain metals.

Reusable Bags

An emerging form of shopping bag in the early 21st century is the reusable one. The reusable bag is made from a variety of materials, including cloth, canvas, nylon, and woven polypropylene, and it is designed to be reused hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times. Reusable bags have less environmental impact because once they are adopted by the consumer, they pose no new use of resources and no impact in terms of disposal. Many stores offer customers a discount for using a reusable bag.

Designer Bags

An emerging variety of the reusable shopping bag is the designer bag. Retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Juicy Couture, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Lord & Taylor have invested millions of dollars in producing more durable forms of the traditional shopping bag. Plastic-coated paper and durable fabric cord handles are some of the enhancements being made to the traditional shopping bag. In some cases, these bags are provided free to consumers; in others, there in a nominal charge. The designer shopping bag, while part of a move to reduce the number of disposable bags, can also be attributed to the status associated with the brands associated with the bags. For some consumers, these bags, [Page 814]while intended for shopping, have become alternative purses or day bags. The Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City keeps a collection of nearly 1,000 such bags.

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