I live in New Jersey where, for the last few years, disposable plastic bags, have been banned at retailers. Last week, reports came out saying our state’s single-use bag ban, which went into effect in 2022 and meant to be a greener option for retailers, has actually increased the use of plastics and the impact on the environment. This news came as no surprise to anyone who lives in the Garden State. Many people in NJ don’t agree with the “ban” because they are “swimming” in reusable shopping bags, which are used not just in grocery stores but also when they order take-out or grocery delivery services. Even though these bags are meant to be reused, oftentimes they are not. People forget to bring them to the store with them or they are used in take-out situations where the retailer has no way, or motivation, to collect them for reuse.

According to a recent study by Freedonia Group, the bag ban in New Jersey initially decreased bag volume by more than 60% to 894 million bags. However, the shift from plastic film bags (the ones that are banned) to alternative bags (typically woven or nonwoven polypropylene) resulted in a nearly three-fold increase in plastic consumption for bags. At the same time, six times more woven and nonwoven polypropylene plastic was consumed to produce the reusable bags sold to consumers as an alternative.

Because nonwoven polypropylene fabrics are not widely recycled in the U.S. and do not typically contain any post-consumer recycled materials, the uptick in production of these bags has left its impact on the environment—namely a 500% increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) compared to 2015. Notably, nonwoven polypropylene, the dominant alternative bag material, consumes over 15 times more plastic and generates more than five times the amount of GHG emissions during production per bag than polyethylene plastic bags.

So what is the answer? Neither option is environmentally friendly nor do they achieve the goal of reducing the amount of plastics used by consumers and disposed of by retailers. And, as retailers profit from the sale of reusable bags, is there any motivation for them to establish a way for their customers to either reuse or recycle these bags? While the expanded use of reusable bags has certainly meant big gains for the nonwovens manufacturers that supply this market, their overuse goes against the grain of one of the industry’s most important goals—to be more sustainable. How can we close the circularity gap in this market?

As always, we appreciate your comments.

Karen McIntyre
Editor
[email protected]