Around 5 trillion plastic bags worldwide are consumed every year. Let’s break that down. Five trillion plastic bags per year means:
160,000 plastic bags per second
700 plastic bags consumed per person
Around 500 billion plastic bags in the ocean (based on the estimation that 10% of plastic waste becomes ocean plastic)
Plastic bags are lightweight and cheap to produce, making them a popular choice among businesses and supermarkets. However, they’re non-biodegradable, fragile (even the long-lasting plastic bags have a short life), and they’re made from nonrenewable resources. These shortcomings mean that plastic bags are littering our landfills and oceans, killing our wildlife, and becoming a plight to the land.
The thing is that, even though we know how bad plastic bags can be, it’s hard to find a suitable substitute. As we seek out possible material alternatives for shopping bags, we should consider bamboo.
What are bamboo bags?
Bamboo bags are bags that are made from a textile using bamboo fiber. It’s created by pulping the bamboo—turning it into mush—and separating bamboo fibers from that mush. Once separated, the fibers can be spun into yarn which is then woven into fabric. The fabric can then be used for shopping bags, backpacks, garment bags, and other items that require durable fabric.
Bamboo bags are becoming a popular choice among businesses and shoppers for two main reasons: they look nice, and they’re produced in an eco-friendly way. But bamboo bags offer so much more than that. The textile resulting from bamboo is a fantastic material that offers many unique benefits.
What are the benefits of bags made from bamboo material?
Bamboo bags have several benefits on individual, social, and environmental levels.
It starts with the production of bamboo. Bamboo grows quickly, which makes it abundant and inexpensive. Unlike other plants and trees, bamboo requires no pesticides, it increases soil quality and decreases soil erosion, it requires low water use, and it boasts high CO2 absorption and high oxygen release. As a natural resource, Bamboo is one of the few plants that can actually make a positive difference in its cultivation.
Once turned into a textile, bamboo offers plenty of advantages. Bamboo fabrication are naturally durable, biodegradable, and produce a soft material that’s optimal for shopping bags.
Compared to cotton, bamboo yields 50x more fiber. It’s also more environmentally friendly to cultivate, it’s cleaner, and it’s economical. When it comes to reusable grocery bags, bamboo offers a shrewd choice.
Disadvantages of bamboo as a textile
Nothing comes without its disadvantages. As you decide which type of reusable bag you want your company to invest in, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons.
While the bamboo fabric is cleaner, more environmentally friendly, and more durable than many other textiles, it is more difficult to care for. It’s inadvisable to machine wash bamboo fabric; the liquid detergent and the fact that the fabric will sit in water for a long period of time both serve to break down the textile and reduce its lifespan. It’s highly recommended, therefore, that owners carefully follow the cleaning instructions that come with their bamboo product.
Although bamboo bags can be washed—you may gently hand wash them or have them dry cleaned—they do require more care than other reusable bag options. However, this is a small price to pay for a good-looking, durable, and eco-friendly bag.