Plastic Bag or Paper Bag: Which Bag is More Environmentally Friendly?

Recently, some supermarkets have raised the price of their reusable plastic bags and introduced paper bags, such as paper shopping bags with handles and custom paper shopping bags. Some supermarket chains say that reducing plastic is the environmental issue that their customers are most concerned about.

 

Paper bags are still very popular in the United States, but in the 1970s, because plastic was a more durable material, paper bags were no longer used in supermarkets. Even today, many people still use plastic bags in their daily life, such as plastic makeup bag, plastic toiletry bag and plastic gunny bags.

 

But are paper bags more environmentally friendly than plastic bags? To get the answer, we must consider the following aspects. First, in the manufacturing process, how much energy is needed to make the bag? Second, how many times can the made bag be reused? Third, is it easy to recycle? Then, if thrown away, how fast does it break down?

 

 

Comparison of Energy Consumption

In 2011, a research paper published by the Northern irland Assembly stated that “the energy required to make paper bags is more than four times that of plastic bags.” The report stated that plastic bags were produced from oil refinery waste. Unlike plastic bags, paper requires deforestation to produce paper bags. According to research, compared with disposable plastic bags, the concentration of toxic chemicals produced in the manufacturing process of paper bags is higher. The study also stated that paper bags are also heavier than plastic bags. This means that transportation requires more energy, increasing their carbon footprint. A researcher said that 100% of the materials used to make paper bags will come from forests under management.

 

If new forests are planted to replace lost trees, this will help offset the effects of climate change, because trees will lock up carbon in the atmosphere. In 2006, UNEP inspected a series of plastic bags made of different materials to find out how many times they need to be reused to have lower global warming potential than traditional disposable plastic bags.

 

 

How Many Times can the bag be Reused?

Paper bags are not as durable as life-use bags and are more likely to split or tear, especially when they are wet. In a survey, the UNEP said: “Due to the low durability of paper bags, it is unlikely that they will be reused regularly for the required number of times.”

 

But some people argued that there is no reason why paper bags cannot be reused as many times as plastic bags that are being replaced, although it depends on how the paper bags are handled. Cotton bags, such as cotton grocery bags, small cotton bags, plain canvas bags, etc., despite being the most carbon-intensive manufacturing, are the most durable and will have a longer life.

 

Although paper has low durability, one of its advantages is that it decomposes much faster than plastic, so it is unlikely to become a source of garbage and pose a threat to wildlife. Paper is also more widely recyclable, and plastic bags may take 400 to 1,000 years to decompose.

 

 

Which One is the Best?

Paper bags require less reuse than plastic bags, making them more environmentally friendly than disposable plastic bags. On the other hand, paper bags are not as durable as other types of bags. Therefore, if customers must replace paper products more frequently, it will have a greater environmental impact.

 

However, Professor Margaret Bates said that the key to reducing the impact of all transport bags is to reuse them as much as possible. She said that many people forget to bring reusable bags during their weekly supermarket trips and must buy more bags at the checkout counter. This will have a greater impact on the environment than just using paper shopping bags with logo or plastic carry bags.