Consumer & Luxury
Article

The truth behind plastic recycling

Plastic packaging accounts for half of plastic waste globally. 91% of the 9 million tonnes of plastic ever produced in the world has not been recycled.* But what are the alternatives? We would like to suggest paper bags as part of the solution.

In recent years, the littering of plastic waste has become a growing concern all over the world. Report after report has documented the negative consequences. For the environment, but in particular for the world’s oceans. Plastic never really goes away and remains as microplastics that enter the food chain of fish and humans.

Spurred on by this, the world’s governments have started to ban single-use plastic. Now, legislation is in effect in 60 countries and the results are starting to show. In the North Sea, there has been a decrease in the number of times fishermen have caught plastic bags in their nets. In 2010 there were plastic bags in 40% of their nets. Now only 16% of trawlers catch a plastic bag. **

Choose a paper bag

We believe paper carrier bags are a sustainable alternative. Renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, they are surprisingly strong and can carry as much weight as a regular plastic bag. Life Cycle Assessments also confirm that their climate impact is less that of a comparable plastic bag. ***

And, unlike plastic alternatives, paper carrier bags biodegrade entirely if they end up in nature.

So yes, maybe choosing a paper bag instead of a plastic bag can actually change the world for the better. If more of us make a sustainable choice, together we can challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future.