Position Papers
Alternatives
Compare different materials, according to criteria like weight, energy and volume of reduction. Let´s take weight of packaging, if we take 100% as a starting point - without plastic we would have about 484% increase in terms of weight. In terms of energy consumption, with plastics if we take 100%, without plastic we will have around 300% increase. The same in volume of waste - with plastic and without plastic we have an increase of almost 300%.1
Paper Bags
The process of making paper bags causes 70% more atmospheric pollution than plastic bags. Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce, and the process uses huge amounts of water and creates very unpleasant organic waste. When they degrade they emit methane and carbon dioxide.
A stack of 1000 new plastic carrier bags would be around 2 inches high, but a stack of 1000 new paper grocery bags could be around 2 feet high. It would take at least seven times the number of trucks to deliver the same number of bags, creating seven times more transport pollution and road congestion.
Also, because paper bags are not as strong as plastic, people may use two or three bags inside each other. Paper bags cannot normally be re-used, and will disintegrate if wet.
Re-usable bags
Long-term re-usable shopping bags are not the answer either. Shoppers do not always go to the shop from home, where the re-usable bags would normally be kept, and consumers are unlikely to have a re-usable bag with them when buying on impulse items such as clothing, groceries, CDs, magazines, stationery etc.
Long-term re-usable bags are much thicker and more expensive, and a large number of them would be required for the weekly shopping of an average family. They are not hygienic unless cleaned after use. Whilst sometimes called "Bags for Life" they have a limited life, depending on the treatment they receive, and become a very durable form of litter when discarded.
However, for those who believe in long-term re-usable bags, they can be made from extended-life oxo-biodegradable plastic and will last for five or more years.
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1. See Polymers and the Environment, 1999, Chapter 4, Management of Polymer Wastes, p. 78-81 and Degradable Polymers 2nd edition, Chapter 1)