Paper and Plastic Bags Contribute to Global Warming

Though most of us don't realize it, manufacturing bags-plastic, compostable plastic, and even paper bags-contributes significantly to global warming. Compare the global warming impact of your bags below.

Paper: Paper bags have the highest global warming impact per bag compared to other types of bags. According to the US EPA, 70% more global warming gasses are emitted making a paper bag than a plastic bag, and 50 times more water pollution. They also contribute to global warming by destroying trees. In 1999, the American Forest and Paper Association reported that Americans used 10 billion paper shopping bags, consuming 14 million trees.

Plastic: The petroleum used to make 14 plastic bags is enough to drive a car a mile. The 380 billion plastic bags that Americans throw away each year are made from millions of barrels of petroleum, contributing to global warming, depleting oil supplies, and driving up costs of petroleum-based products like gasoline and energy for our homes.

Compostable Plastic: Compostable bags use a quarter to two-thirds less petroleum resources than traditional plastic bags in manufacturing, but this does not factor in the resources required to grow and transport the corn or other crops used in production. It is unclear how much the agricultural use of petroleum for farm equipment, fertilizers, and transportation contribute to global warming.

Reusable PP Bags: Reusable bags reduce all these costs by a factor of hundreds. Our polypropylene bags use the petroleum resources of 11 plastic grocery bags, but they are designed to replace hundreds of bags. Each bag can replace four plastic bags each time it is used. When used once a week for two years, it will prevent 416 bags from being sent to landfills, enough to drive a car almost 30 miles.

Canvas Bags: Canvas and cotton bags might seem like the ideal solution, but they have never been widely popular. Several factors account for resistance to wide adoption. They are often expensive ($4-$25 per bag) and these materials absorb dirt and odor, and therefore require frequent washing. The combination of high maintenance and difficulty of use limit their usefulness as a solution for most Americans.

Compare: See our bag comparison chart

The Problem >> The Problem: Paper and Plastic Bags Contribute to Global Warming