Is a cloth bag more environmentally friendly than a plastic bag? It depends on how often you use it, says Deco Proteste.
Deco Proteste, together with its counterparts in Spain, Italy and Belgium, tested nine types of shopping bag to assess their life cycle and how they can reduce their environmental impact. And the association itself admits that the results are surprising, concluding that, with the same number of uses, “a plastic bag has a smaller environmental footprint than a paper one”.
The basic question is simple. How many times do you have to use each of the alternative bags for them to have less of an environmental impact than traditional plastic bags? And the answer varies between 101 times for a cotton bag - which rises to 149 times if the cotton is organic - and nine times for a paper bag. In the case of polyester and polypropylene, these packages need to be used three and four times respectively to be more sustainable.
But Deco Proteste makes it clear that this study is not intended to encourage the use of plastic bags. “We're not advocating the use of plastic, not everything is that simple, but we are advocating maximum reuse of the type of bag you choose. Each consumer, according to their profile, should make their own choice, and our study helps them to do just that, to make a conscious choice,” says Deco Proteste's Energy and Sustainability Team Leader, Elsa Agante.
When assessing the different types of bags, everything counts, from the materials used to make them, to the inks and dyes used, as well as the manufacturing method, i.e. whether they were glued or sewn. The use of recycled, biodegradable or compostable materials is also taken into account, among other factors, such as the country of manufacture.
This is why the use of an organic cotton bag has a greater environmental footprint than a normal cotton one, because, explains Deco Proteste, “the complete replacement of fertilizers and pesticides results in the need to increase the cultivation area by around 30%”.
In the case of reusable polyester bags for carrying fruit, if they are simple, it only takes ten uses for their environmental impact to be lower than that of single-use plastic bags. But if they have a colored strip, which involves the use of inks and dyes, they will have to be used 98 times for their environmental impact to be lower than plastic bags. “If you opt for a cotton bag for fruit, then you will have to use it 952 times, meaning that the study concludes that you should avoid buying cotton bags unless you want to reuse them for several years,” says Deco Proteste.
If you're a fan of trolleys, the shopping bags with wheels, then you'll have to use them more than 742 times more often than a traditional plastic bag. In other words, it's the right option if you're going shopping on foot and don't want to use any more bags. But bear in mind that these have a high environmental impact, from production to final destination.
“The rule should always be maximum use and common sense, so that a balance is struck between our needs and those of the planet,” stresses Elsa Agante.
Source: Environmentally friendly shopping bags? Deco Proteste recommends (dinheirovivo.pt)
