Simeon Goldstein: The great bag debate

Barely a week goes by that I don’t see a story about some far-flung city/state/country discussing a ban/charge/voluntary scheme.

I kind of get the position that the bag has become a symbol for the waste that now decorates this once green and pleasant land.

And I challenge anyone not be shocked by images of the great Pacific garbage patch, or whatever the floating mass of waste is called.

Which of course is the angle that a lot of the stories take. Videos like the mockumentary voiced by Jeremy Irons are also another way to convince people of the evils of plastic bags.

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But, as with a lot of the environment issues, what people feel when they read a story or get asked about something on the street is not the same as at the point of purchase.

To give an example, I try my best to take shopping bags from home when I do my weekly shop.

But if I am on my way home, I am just too lazy to go home to pick them up rather than just pop into my local supermarket and take a plastic one. There is a convenience factor that is important.

There are a couple of stories out today about O2′s environmental ranking for mobile phones, that looks at issues such as raw materials, energy efficiency and, you guessed it, packaging.

Apparently, the scheme is a response to increased consumer desire to know about the environmental impact of the products they buy, which is all well and good.

There is, however an Apple-sized hole after the firm refused to allow the iPhone to be listed and, as an independent company, it is perfectly within its rights to do so.

But, I can’t help thinking that for all the importance of the environment, not many people will be put off buying the iPhone if it’s not on the list.

What do you think? Join the debate and leave your comments below.

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