The European Paper Bag Day will take place for the third time on 18 October with various activities throughout Europe. The annual day of action aims to raise consumer awareness of paper carrier bags as sustainable and efficient packaging. According to the initiators, the paper bag helps to reduce the amount of waste and minimise the impact on the environment.
This year's day will focus on the reusability of paper bags. To this end, the initiator „The Paper Bag“, an association of the leading manufacturers of kraft paper and paper carrier bags in Europe, is launching a video series in which the reusability of paper bags is tested and demonstrated in various everyday situations.
Paper carrier bags as a reusable packaging solution
According to a survey by GlobalWebIndex, consumers in the USA and the UK have already realised how important the principle of reuse is for the environment. In the survey, it was named as the second most important criterion for environmentally friendly packaging, just behind recyclability.
Paper carrier bags fulfil both criteria: They can be reused several times and recycled at the end when they can no longer hold another purchase. This is because the fibres used can also be reused. The long natural fibres are very suitable for recycling.
On average, the fibres are reused 3.5 times in Europe. If a paper carrier bag is not reused or recycled, it can biodegrade.
Video series to test the reusability
But is it realistic to use paper carrier bags more than once? A four-part video series puts the reusability of paper bags to the test. With heavy loads of up to 11 kg, bumpy transport and damp or sharp-edged contents, the same paper carrier bag has to overcome numerous different challenges. It accompanies the test subject on shopping trips to the supermarket or weekly market and is used to transport books or picnic equipment. The video series will be broadcast on European Paper Bag Day via the Social media channels of „The Paper Bag“ widespread.
The Paper Bag
The platform „The Paper Bag“ was founded in 2017 by the leading European manufacturers of kraft paper and paper carrier bags. They are committed to publicising the benefits of paper packaging. „The Paper Bag“ is operated by the organisations CEPI Eurokraft and EUROSAC. thepaperbag.org
