In fact, paper bags require approximately four times as much energy to produce. Paper bags require the felling of trees, a pulping process that consumes a lot of energy and even the use of toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment. On the other hand, the production of plastic bags carries the lowest environmental cost compared to other bag options. Paper bags are often considered the greenest alternative because paper is made from trees, a renewable source.
Ironically, plastic bags were introduced to the UK more than 60 years ago to replace the widely used paper bags, which were blamed for widespread deforestation. Plastic was introduced to protect natural resources and save trees. In addition to varying greatly in terms of their compatibility with the environment, there is the possibility that reusable bags will not be used, as consumers should remember to take them with them to the store. Recycling plastic bags is a difficult task; they fly away in the recycling plant and get stuck in the machinery.
To have a comparable environmental footprint (encompassing climate change and other environmental effects) to that of plastic bags, a cotton bag may have to be used thousands of times. In general, it's critical to strive to reuse any bag you have in your possession and to dispose of it responsibly. The debate over “paper bags or plastic bags” will continue, especially since the increasing use of plastic is already massive and worrying. Mike Jones, innovation director at sustainable packaging retailer Mainetti, explains the rivalry between paper and plastic bags.
One of the main advantages of plastic bags is that, compared to other types of shopping bags, their production involves the lowest environmental cost. Although the production of these bags uses resources such as oil, it generates less carbon emissions, waste and harmful by-products than the production of cotton or paper bags. Regardless of whether the bag is made of plastic, paper or another material, the most sustainable option is the bag you already have. This is because plastic bags, like all plastic materials, eventually break into microscopic pieces, which scientists refer to as microplastics.
Made from a more durable type of plastic, these bags must be reused about eleven times to reach the point of balance with the impact of conventional plastic. In the report, the lightweight plastic bag received a score of 1 in all categories as a reference point. In addition to filling landfills and turning into something horrible, plastic bags that become garbage endanger many facets of the environment, including marine life and the food chain.