Green Issues

Biodegradable bags are becoming extremely popular throughout many parts of the world, with many businesses and organisations opting for these over the standard plastic carrier bags. The bags are far better from an environmental point of view, as they are manufactured to degrade over a short period of time, compared to standard plastic carriers that last for many years and contribute to the build up of toxic chemicals in land fills.

There are two kinds of degradable carrier bags on the market today. The first being a biodegradable bag – Note the ‘bio’ part of it. This bag is made from a natural maize, which once manufactured, starts to degrade slowly. These are generally the most expensive, and are not ideal if some of the stock needs to be shelved for a lengthy period of time. The second type is a degradable carrier bag. These are basically a plastic carrier bag which has a special agent added to it during the manufacturing process. This agent slowly breaks down the plastic material over a fairly long period of time, which eventually turns it into a harmless vapour and dust, none of which are toxic in any way. These are the cheaper option and probably the most popular. The quality of this type of bag is the same as a standard plastic carrier bag, the only difference being that they are far more environmentally friendly.

These biodegradable bags are also great to use as a promotional tool. They can be printed and personalised with company logos and wording and are proving extremely popular for use at events and exhibitions. It gives the opportunity for businesses to advertise themselves to hundreds, if not thousands of people attending the event, as well as give the visitors something to carry there freebies and literature in.

Most councils and government organisations have switched to using biodegradable bags due to their eco-friendly nature. With the government actively promoting environmental issues and solutions, they have to be seen to be operating in a greener way themselves. There are many other eco type products on the market today, for both domestic and commercial purposes. These range from recycled products, through to energy saving products. The world is becoming more aware of the damage that we are causing to our planet. If more people, and businesses made a few changes to their daily practices and changed their habits with the products they bought and used, the world would be a greener, safer place to live.