In the push to go green with more eco-friendly alternatives to day-to-day items and practices, one thing has popped up that has made its way into grocery stores everywhere; canvas bags.
Canvas bags are booming in popularity; especially the cheap, reusable shopping variety that any are bringing with them to stores and skipping the old plastic options altogether.
However, are they really eco-friendly? If so, why is that? What makes canvas bags so special?
Let’s find out.
1: Plant-Based
Plastic production causes a ton of pollution on its own, and then the final product typically ends up on the ground, in the ocean, or in a landfill. None of those are good. Even worse, they can stick around for hundreds of years.
In comparison, the canvas is plant-based. It’s cleaner to produce, and when you do throw your canvas bags away, they decompose naturally without harming the environment. In fact, they’re converted into plant food and help things grow just like when any organic material decomposes.
2: Sustainable Farming
Of course, all plants decompose naturally and benefit the environment, but unfortunately, not all of them are sustainable when used in mass. Look at your palm. The constant “need” for palm oil has absolutely annihilated the habitats of orangutans and countless other species, and farming efforts can’t keep up with even dramatically reduced harvesting practices.
Canvas is made out of cotton. At least, it usually is. It can also be made from a few other plants that share the same properties we’re about to highlight. Anyways, cotton can be produced extremely sustainably. The canvas bag industry isn’t going to clear-cut a cotton field, try to replant a few plants, and then watch as cotton quickly goes extinct. The plant grows like a weed, and it’s extremely abundant.
There is practically no harm done to the environment when cotton is harvested, and there are various pieces of equipment that can be used to reduce or eliminate emissions from harvesting equipment, too.
In short, it’s way more sustainable than plastic, and it’s even more sustainable than a lot of other plants.
3: Reusable
Yes, canvas bags are clean to produce, decompose well, and can be made sustainably. However, that doesn’t nullify the fact that they’re also reusable for extremely lengthy periods.
Canvas is a strong material. If you buy ten canvas totes to make sure all your shopping needs are met, you won’t need to replace any of them for years to come. Especially if you treat them right.
When it comes down to it, even when we talk about sustainable and eco-friendly items, anytime we can reuse something, it’s a major benefit. Even with clean production methods, there are emissions and waste at some point between the field to your car as you head on a shopping trip, and if we can reduce how many bags need to be made, we can almost completely eliminate that, too.
Canvas Bags are the Smart Choice
As you can see, canvas bags offer a ton of benefits, and there are no downsides to using them. So, make the switch today, order some canvas bags, and make your next shopping trip an eco-friendly one.