Reduce, Reuse and Refuse

As promotional products professionals, the reality is that we constantly devour a piece of the Earth. Stop and let that sink in for a minute — our business has a dramatic impact on our planet. Whether we are sourcing glass, paper, single-use plastic, canvas, or a thousand other materials for our clients, there is an environmental footprint associated with manufacturing each of those products. Remember a time when we were encouraged to use plastic instead of paper bags to “save the trees”? Yeah, that concept didn’t really age well.

A global pandemic certainly hasn’t helped with the whole paper versus plastic versus fabric argument in the tote category, even reversing the trend away from single-use plastic bags at one point. In April of 2020, retailers in California reverted back to handing out banned free single-use plastic bags under an executive order announced by Governor Gavin Newsom, one of several turns away from reusable bags amid the coronavirus outbreak. “It is critical to protect the public health and safety and minimize the risk of Covid-19 exposure for workers engaged in essential activities, such as those handling reusable grocery bags,” stated the Governor’s executive order. While pandemic concerns regarding reusable bags faded, the suspension of the ban had been vigorously championed by the California Retailers Association and the California Grocers Association, both of whom spent a fair amount of money to publicly assert that reusable bags put supermarket employees at risk of being infected with the coronavirus.

There are thousands of recycled, upcycled, or organic cotton bag options as an imprinted tool for brands and retailers to broadcast a planet-friendly mindset. Bonus points if the brand can show awareness of overuse of plastic in packaging at the same time. Fact is, there is evidence on both sides of the plastic versus fabric debate, and totes are not without their detractors. Most point to a 2018 study by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark entitled “The Life Cycle Assessment of Grocery Carry Bags” which suggests damningly that an organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production.

Supporters of fabric tote alternatives suggest the report is flawed because it primarily focused on the ozone impacts of cotton totes, rather than their impact on climate, wildlife, air quality or drinking water. On the other side of the issue, supporters of plastic bags say the math is quite simple — the study just suggests that each reuse replaces the first use of a plastic bag. When considered across all environmental indicators, those favoring plastic bags suggest the study supports the concept that an organic cotton tote would have to be reused 20,000 times to have the same environmental performance as a plastic grocery bag reused only once as a trash bag, and then properly incinerated. Confused yet? I had an uncle who liked to say “never let the facts get in the way of a good story” and this is exactly what I’m reminded of when it comes to this topic. Are you concerned that’s what you’re doing with your clients when it comes to fabric versus plastic versus paper?

So, how did we get here, anyway? According to the Gothamist, it may well have started in New York City way back in 2007 with the “I'm Not A Plastic Bag” campaign from London designer Anya Hindmarch. At one point, the aftermarket on eBay had those bags selling for hundreds of dollars because that canvas tote was made popular by a combination of celebrity and the availability based on a short production run. Hindmarch is quoted as saying at the time that “to create awareness you have to create scarcity by producing a limited edition. I hate the idea of making the environment trendy, but you need to make it cool and then it becomes a habit.”

We can find ways of getting comfortable with both sides of the issue and still create a habit of conserving without feeling the need to amplify extreme thinking like measuring the benefit of a tote in terms of “how many lifetimes". It would be easy to be confused with what the best option for our clients and our families is now. Do we go back to plastic? Do we still use fabric totes? But exactly WHAT fabric should those totes be made out of? Do we switch back to paper bags — and what’s all this about “brown paper,” anyway? Or is it best to simply buy nothing at all? Yes, it’s confusing as hell. That said, I also believe that the answer is definitely not to do nothing just because the available options aren’t perfect. Thinking like that means we never sell anything new to our clients.

There’s no single answer here, no silver bullet. But here are a few ideas I think are worth trying when faced with both a confusing and developing situation. One, be thoughtful and consume all things in moderation. Remember we are all devouring the Earth a piece at a time. At home, I think it’s a good practice to continue to use totes when appropriate, but just don’t accept a bunch of free ones you don’t need. For your clients, source recycled or upcycled fabrics, display that fact as prominently as your clients will allow, and be mindful of the decoration. The imprint area is usually the one area that CANNOT be recycled and needs to be cut out of the bag, which ultimately leads to the bags just being discarded improperly instead. Remember, 85 percent of the world’s textiles already go into landfills. Use plastic bags if you must, but it’s a no brainer that you need to reuse or recycle them, as the Denmark study suggests, at least once. If you use paper bags, attempt to compost or recycle them by first checking what works for recycling them in your community. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, make a concerted effort to buy less of what you don’t need — it’s not that hard for all of us to live more sustainably. 

Oh, and one more thought: join me in the hope that we can all find better solutions in the future. Our shared world depends on it.