If you are running a business such as a grocery store, convenience store or a retailer at a shopping mall, it may be time to rethink your bag strategy. Many retailers think they have no option but to offer plastic bags for their customers to take their purchases in.
But it is possible to make a change. And that involves using non-woven bags and other reusable bags instead. Here are ten key reasons why it is a good idea to go with reusable bags instead of plastic ones.
1. Decomposing
It takes around 15 to 1000 years to break down plastic, depending on where it is being stored. And that is just a single bag. Imagine the millions of bags that are used every single day, and how they are sitting around decomposing!
2. Not Biodegradable
Plastic is not a biodegradable material. Even when they do break down, it is a process of photo degradation that releases toxic chemicals into the environment where those plastics are located.
3. Damage to Sea Animals
There are so many plastic bags and other plastic components floating around in the world’s oceans. And they are the result of many retailers refusing to change to non-woven reusable bags. Birds, turtles and other sea animals die because of ingesting plastic.
4. Cannot Be Recycled
It is too expensive to recycle plastic bags, which means no one takes on the project. Unlike other items that are mass-produced, plastic bags are never recycled. They are either stored away in the closets of your customers or they are out in the world, harming the environment.
5. Creating a Positive Brand Image
When you view source details and assess the eco-friendly reusable bags that you want to purchase, your company can start the process of rebranding. Having reusable bags will show that you are the retailer that cares about the environment, unlike many others.
6. Costing the Country Money
Did you know that states such as California spend around $300 million a year clearing up coastal litter such as plastic bags? Such spending can be drastically reduced if all major retailers switched to reusable bags.
7. Excessive Oil Usage
Most people are not aware that it takes around 12 BILLION barrels of oil to produce the plastic bags that are used every year in the United States.
8. Boost Customer Loyalty
When customers invest in reusable bags from your business, it gives them an incentive to come back. It is time to go grocery shopping and they see their bags on the counter. They will probably come back to your store instead of going anywhere else.
9. Long Lifespan of Reusables
The average reusable bag is going to last around as long as 700 disposable plastic bags. Customers can easily keep using the same reusable bag for years, even if they are coming to your store one or two times a week!
10. Small Changes Have an Impact
Many businesses think their change will not make a difference. But a single individual switching to reusable bags in their whole life would take away 20,000+ plastic bags from the environment. Now imagine if everyone who shopped at your store did that!
Switching to reusable bags is a big commitment. But it is one that a business must make in this age, given the environmental dangers we all face.
