Recycled Shopping Bags And Their Impact On The Environment

Do you know what greenwashing is? “Greenwashing” is the marketing term for when an organization or a manufacturer sends out a wrong message about their products or processes being “environmentally friendly”.

It need not be an outright falsehood, but rather deceptive, either with unstated drawbacks or inflated statements about how environmentally friendly the product is. Environmental groups have criticised commercials that use words like “reduced emissions,” “recycled,” and “conscious collecting” in a misleading way, the presumptive example of greenwashing.

Being a top custom shopping bags manufacturer in India, Richie Bags genuinely cares about the environment and never makes pretence to do so. As a result, we believe it is our duty to inform people about the environmental effects of eco-friendly bags made of jute and cotton and to warn them against being duped by greenwashing or unfounded advocacy.

Recycled Shopping Bags Need Conscious And Sustainable Production.

At Richie Bags, we have widely promoted that our bags and products have a positive environmental impact. This is not an unsupported claim but is proven and certified by several authoritative organisations like the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). But not all recycled shopping bags manufacturer in India have these certifications.

Environmental effect is a process that begins at the manufacturing stage. We have been utilising eco-friendly equipment, natural dyes, and increasing handcrafting to create more sustainable items. Sometimes, it takes more water, energy, and resources to manufacture one recycled jute or cotton bag than it does to produce 100 plastic bags. Moreover, the cost is also high.

Jute and cotton bags are environmentally friendly because they are bio-degradable and decompose faster than plastic bags. But if the production leaves a similar carbon footprint, it doesn’t serve the purpose, right? Therefore, we go for organic production, which has reduced impact.

You Are Supposed To Reuse A Cotton or Jute Bag And Not Dump It Like A Single Use Bag

Plastic bags that end up as litter put the ecosystem, especially marine life and the food chain, in jeopardy in addition to filling up landfills and looking bad. This is due to the fact that plastic bags, like all plastic materials, gradually degrade into tiny fragments known as microplastics.

Microplastics have been discovered almost everywhere, including in agricultural soil, urban air, and marine life.

Even if your shopping bag is made of biodegradable organic jute, the effect will be the same if it ends up in the ocean or a landfill. Since it will still take years for it to decay, leaving a mess and an unpleasant smell. For the eco-friendly shopping bag to be effective, you must use it throughout its whole lifespan.

Be Aware Of The Negative Impact of Reusable Shopping Bags

Reusable bags have a few drawbacks in terms of sustainability. First, the eco-friendliness of various materials varies greatly. According to Ice Green, plastic deteriorates via a process called photodegradation, which necessitates sunlight. Therefore, over time, plastic that ends up floating in the ocean, such as used synthetic reusable bags, will break down into dangerous chemical components.