Soap Box Blog: Time to buy a bag for life?

And why shouldn’t I use a reusable bag? After all, this week The Prince of Wales awarded bag for life specialist Supreme Creations the BITC supply chain award for its ethical supply chain.

But after more than two years working on Packaging News it is hard not to become indignant when the media constantly bombards the single-use carrier bag – and, by association, the packaging industry – with negative press.

Yesterday, for example, the Daily Mail took a positive packaging story – the Plastics 2020 Challenge, and used it to push its own Banish the Bags Campaign. To me, this totally missed the point.

Yes, bags are made from plastic, which is made from oil, which is running out. And yes, they can end up in the ocean to form a plastic soup that can’t be a good thing for turtles, not to mention the fact that some made in China and have to be shipped over here.

But I would argue that they are lighter than paper bags to transport and, as proved by the little box by the cashiers in Sainsbury’s, they can be collected and recycled. The thing is collecting them. Oh, and lest we forget the whole scenario in Ireland where that levy led to an increase in plastic bin liners – oh the irony.

So where does that leave me and my addiction? I’m still a keen supporter of the plastic bag and I’m sure I will continue to use them regularly as finding biodegradable bin liners in my local Sainsbury’s is a bit of a challenge. But for now, it’s time to pop out and buy a jute bag.

If you would like to write a Soap Box Blog, we’d love to hear from you. Just email packagingnews.editorial@haymarket.com

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