Are paper bags superior to plastic bags?

In this week’s blog, we investigate the reasons why grocery stores are favoring plastic over paper.

Here are some of the reasons we believe that are factored into the decision: 

Reusability

Paper bags don't keep going as long as the 5p plastic bags, making them less reusable.

Strength

Bags made of paper are often weaker than plastic bags unless they are made of thick, high strength paper.

Cost Good quality paper bags are more expensive than the standard plastic supermarket bag.

Weather Durability

Bags made of paper get soggy and are prone to tearing if they get wet and let’s face it, it rains a lot in the UK! Also carrying frozen goods in a paper bag would also create the bag to go soggy as the food starts defrosting on the way home.

Production

Paper production is a lengthy process and is thought to take almost four times as much energy to manufacture compared to plastic. Paper bag manufacturing also uses more water compared to plastic and releases more than three times as many greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, it takes 7 trucks to transport 2 million paper bags, versus one truck to carry two million plastic bags!