Do you want something small as well as compact so you can hold it with you everywhere? Or, do you want something big and long-lasting for your huge weekly grocery trips?
However, you may likewise be thinking, “what is this bag generally made of?” Different reusable bags are made from various materials, and due to that, a few are more eco-friendly than others. So, you may also be thinking, “Is a cotton bag more sustainable than a polyester bag?” Or, “Is the tough plastic bag I need to buy actually that much better than a plastic grocery bag?”
Regardless of the type though, it’s always crucial to remember that such bags are not meant to be used for a single time. The more times you utilize them, the eco-friendly they become.
We’ve made a list below of many materials and fabrics that are widely used to make mesh produce bags. You’ll be able to find out which bag is made from what materials as well as the environmental impact of every type.
Natural Fibers
Cotton Bags
Cotton bags are the most widely used ones and a great alternative to plastic bags. They are packable, lightweight, and can be very handy for many uses. Also, they have the potential to be 100% organic as well as biodegradable.
But, because cotton needs a lot of resources to grow as well as cultivate, it must be utilized at least more than 100 times in order to balance its environmental impact.
Jute Bags
An extraordinary, natural option when it comes to environmentally friendly reusable bags is a jute bag. Jute is among the few options to plastic that is fully biodegradable as well as has a relatively low environmental impact. Jute is an organic material that is mostly grown as well as cultivated in India and Bangladesh.
The plant needs some water to grow, can develop in and generally rehabilitate wasteland, and decreases huge amounts of CO2 because of its carbon dioxide assimilation rate. Also, it is highly durable as well as relatively cheaper to purchase. The only downside is that it’s not highly water-resistant in its natural form.
Hemp Bags
Also, Hemp is a great natural option. Hemp bags are quite stronger than cotton, durable as well as machine washed. The plants themselves need some water and 1 acre of help can produce up to 6 tons of fiber.
The only drawback of hemp bags is their travel footprint. Hemp cannot easily be grown in most Western countries and thus, must be imported. But, in comparison to other reusable bags, hemp is an incredible organic material.
Synthetic Fibers
Polypropylene (PP) Bags
Polypropylene bags, or PP bags, are the bags you mostly see at grocery stores near the isle. They’re durable reusable plastic bags that are made for multiple uses. They can be produced using both non-woven as well as woven polypropylene and are available in many sizes and colors.
While these bags are not biodegradable or compostable, they are quite environmentally efficient bags in comparison to the traditional HDPE grocery bags. With only 14 uses, PP bags turn out to be more eco-friendly than one-time usable plastic bags. Also, they have the potential to be produced from recycled materials.
Recycled PET Bags
Recycled PET bags are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or recycled water bottles as well as containers. Such bags, while still made from plastic, use the non-essential waste from plastic water bottles and make a completely recycled, quite eco-friendly, and useful product.
PET bags can be easily packed into their own stuff sack and can be utilized for many years. They’re durable, strong, and from a resource point of view, have the lowest environmental footprint because of the use of disposable waste.
Polyester
A lot of colorful and fashionable bags are made using polyester. Unfortunately, polyester is likewise made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as well as unlike recycled PET bags, virgin polyester needs almost 70 million barrels of crude oil every year to produce.
When you will see its plus side, every bag just produces 89 grams of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the same as the seven single-use HDPE bags. Polyester bags are water-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, and can be simply folded down to bring with you everywhere.
Nylon
Nylon bags are another simply packable reusable bag alternative. However, nylon is produced from thermoplastic and petrochemicals —it actually needs a larger amount of energy to produce than cotton as well as a lot more crude oil to produce than polyester.
On the plus side though, nylon is highly durable and lasts for a long time. Therefore, if you highly invest in a nylon bag, you can utilize it for a lot of years. Also, more recycling programs are being made for nylon and more eco-friendly closed-loop companies.
Wrapping Up
After seeing the above-mentioned materials, we can say that you have a plethora of options to pick from, but that doesn’t mean that finding suitable reusable mesh produce bags have to be confusing. As said earlier, the more times you utilize a bag, the more eco-friendlier it becomes; so it’s crucial to get a bag that matches your personal needs and use it again and again.
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