How Many Times Does A Non-woven Bag Need To Be Used To Be Better For The Environment

Nonwoven tote shopping bags are becoming more and more popular, and even men often carry them. Merchants began promoting tote bags in 2007 to promote environmental sustainability, as it was believed that reusing the same bag would curb consumers' carbon footprint.

Like China, major retailers in urban and rural America began charging consumers for bags to encourage them to reuse shopping bags. Legislators in Suffolk County, New York, passed legislation on Sept. 7 to charge 5 cents per plastic bag.

But tote bags also have a high carbon footprint. In fact, reusing a plastic bag 3 times has the same environmental impact as using a cotton tote 393 times.

In a study on shopping bags conducted by the UK Department of the Environment in 2011, they analysed 7 types of bags: paper, cotton, biodegradable material (made from starch and polyester polymers), and 4 others Polyethylene materials with different densities.

The 4 polyethylene bags include sturdy plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density reusable totes (usually available at checkout).

"The energy used to make cotton yarn and the fertilizers used during cotton growth have a greater impact on acidification and terrestrial ecotoxicity," the study said.