Reusable Bags News

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a huge wake-up call for all of us.  We all must carefully consider the devastating impact that the actions of corporations and individuals are having on our world’s eco-system. Much has been written and will continue to be written about BP and the public relations nightmare it caused itself through the epic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  But you may not know that there’s another ongoing environmental controversy centered around the issue of deforestation and a company called Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).   Businesses and organizations everywhere can learn a great lesson from the situation APP finds itself in. APP is a division of the mega corporation, Sinar Mas, and calls itself one of the world’s leading pulp and paper companies.

APP has recently been linked to being a major contributor to deforestation. Deforestation, the human-caused disappearance of naturally occurring forests by logging or burning, is a huge problem in today’s world.   It is estimated that around 50% or more of the world’s plants and animal species live in the 7% of the world where rainforests currently exist.  For example, the most famous of rainforests, the Amazon, a majestic 1.4 billion acre (5.5 million square kilometers) rainforest located in South America covering sections of 9 different countries, has only 82.3% of the moist broadleaf forest cover it had in 1970.   It is also estimated that between 1991 and 2000, the total loss of Amazon rainforest increased from 415,000 square kilometers to almost 600,000.  The data above is according to Wikipedia.com.

Another lesser known but equally struggling rain forest, the Indonesian rainforest, has made recent headlines after a report from Greenpeace.  In the report, Greenpeace accuses Asia Paper and Pulp of “relentlessly trashing rainforests, driving species extinction and, if left unchecked, will threaten Indonesia’s efforts to address climate change.”  APP is a division of the mega conglomerate, Sinar Mas, and calls itself one of the world’s leading pulp and paper companies.  According to CNN.com, Indonesia is one of the world’s biggest culprits of emitting greenhouse emissions largely because of the clear-cutting and burning of rainforests for logging and other purposes.   Indonesia has long been a recipient of criticism for its environmental practices mainly because of disregard for international and even their own laws. APP is currently going through a public relations nightmare due to the Greenpeace report, and of course is claiming Greenpeace’s claims are exaggerated.  Yet things recently took a turn for the worse for Sinar Mas when in July, 2010 Wal-Mart, already becoming a major advocate for transitioning its customer base to the use of sustainable green bags)announced it has “taken steps to stop” buying their paper, as a result of this and other controversies surrounding APP.  Sounds like APP’s denial of the problem is making things worse and now costing them major business.  The loss of Wal-Mart’s business over the next year will significantly impact their bottom line.

This brings us to a great question: In today’s difficult world-wide economy, how can business’s ensure they are adopting environmentally-friendly and energy efficient business practices and not on the wrong side of a PR controversy?   Business.Gov, the official business link to the US Government, has an 11-step guide to help companies ensure they are energy efficient, compliant with environmental regulations, and recognized as a “green business”.

Here are the steps (Click here to visit their site):

1 – Comply with Environmental Regulations

2 – Develop an Environmental Management Plan

3 – Build Green

4 – Buy Green Products

5 – Adopt Energy Efficient Practices

6 – Reduce, Reuse

7 – Recycle Wastes

8 – Conserve Water

9 – Prevent Pollution

10 – Create a Green Marketing Strategy

11 – Join Industry Partnership and Stewardship Programs.

Step 4 “Buy Green Products”, is a great suggestion that many companies fail to consider.   A unique way to raise awareness about deforestation while promoting your brand is through eco friendly promotional products like seed paper, which is made of actual seeds and can still germinate and sprout into a flower when planted.  Something as simple as seed cards such as a seed business card or a seeded thank you card can create a truly memorable interaction with a client or industry colleague.  You could also include a statement about deforestation on the stationary, making it absolutely clear about where your company stands on environmental issues.  Another one that stands out on this list is step 6, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Wastes”. Remembering to reduce and reuse is the best way to eliminate the need to recycle in the first place.

Now is the time to take action to stop deforestation as well as ensuring your company is recognized as a “green business”, thus solidifying your green reputation.  The 11 steps above are a great guide for any business owner or CEO to implement green practices in your business.   Embrace the challenge of perpetually improving your organization’s environmental footprint.  Your company’s leadership and example will help stop the devastating effects of deforestation and the investment will be well worth it.

Have you remembered to BYOB in 2010?  This is a question everyone must ask themselves. We are halfway through 2010 and there has never been a more crucial time to bring your own reusable green bags. When you BYOB, rather than using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you immediately become a part of the solution to the massive urban litter problem associated with disposable shopping bag waste.  As of June 23rd 2010, it is estimated that nearly 238 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone.  What’s even more alarming is the impact that plastic and paper disposable bags are continuing to have on the environment.   As we continue to follow the progress of large-scale efforts to reduce the use of plastic and paper disposable bags and the associated waste, we’ll find that many options are available to all of us individual consumers in order to make sure we are a part of the solution to this problem.

The good news is that BYOB momentum is growing rapidly in 2010.  If you haven’t heard yet, the California legislature has proposed a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), which would ban single-use bags sold in supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take full effect by 2013.  Even “The Governator”, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk.   This would be a gigantic victory for all friends of the environment to have the most populated state, in the 3rd largest country in the world, to put a ban on single-use plastic bags. Considering that China first cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland legislative efforts to reduce plastic bag usage began in 2002, it is so wonderful to hear that California lawmakers have brought this bill to the table.

In the USA, cities from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have passed or enacted laws that either tax consumers for the use of plastic bags or ban them altogether, but California would be the first US state to take action if this bill were to pass.  Believe it or not, even legislators from the state of Texas have proposed legislation that would add a 7-cent tax per single-use bag.   It’s so exciting that there’s a possibility that both Texas and California could soon have laws in place to fight the plastic bag epidemic.  Efforts by individuals and governments to reduce large-scale use of disposable shopping bags is a great way to motivate people and spread the word about the positive benefits of eco friendly reusable bags.

Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade completely, and before that it just breaks down in to smaller and smaller toxic pieces that end up in our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable bags are a great alternative, once discarded in landfill sites, the exposure to sunlight, oxygen and heat will convert these bags into water, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass. Like a fallen leaf, it will disappear over time and leave NO HARMFUL RESIDUE in the soil.  Plastic bags end up in our landfills and often get tangled and cause permanent damage in waste management machinery. Millions if not billions of other bags end up as urban litter and usually find their way in to rivers, lakes, streams, and the ocean.  Animals, especially marine animals, get entangled in plastic bags, and/or ingest them and often suffocate or starve to death.

So the solution brings us back to BYOB, which is incredibly easy. Just remember to use eco friendly reusable shopping bags or wholesale recycled bags, or reuse an old bag, period. Be sure to keep extra reusable bags in the trunk of your car or in your backpack, because you’ll want to make sure they are accessible when you need them.  You can also give them to your friends as a reminder to BYOB.  Of course, always remember to recycle whenever the opportunity presents itself, recycling is always a victory for the environment.  Adopting a BYOB habit in our individual lives and businesses is really the best way to ensure we are truly part of the solution rather than the problem.  Now is the time to go out and lead by example.