Comparing Non-Woven Bags to Other Eco-Friendly Alternatives: Strengths and weaknesses

Plastic bags are the methods for transporting goods due to their durability. Historically, they were chosen over paper bags for this reason. However, ongoing campaigns have been drawing attention to the environmental drawbacks of using plastic bags. Plastic bags are not degradable, which negatively impacts soil health. These bags can take hundreds of years to break down naturally. Moreover, when animals consume these bags, they are at risk of dying from the released toxins. Burning plastic bags also releases harmful gases into the atmosphere. These significant issues have fueled movements to prohibit their use. Despite increased awareness of their harmful effects, the question of what can replace plastic bags persists. Non-woven bags present a practical alternative.

This material is a hydrocarbon and quite friendly to the environment. The bags made polypropylene material are very easy to wash and are also water-resistant. PP woven shopping bags are actually a bit similar in appearance to the traditional fabric bags. Like the other non-woven bags, these too are a better alternative to plastic bags. These bags are washable and very sturdy. Considering the damage done to the environment due to plastic bags, our earth needs a replacement that can be a safe alternative for these bags. Step by step, PP bags can seep into the changes in packaging policies in the various companies and the household level, which will help in having a cleaner and greener earth.

Non-woven bags are manufactured from various processed some of which are cleaner than others. Phase one of manufacturing the polypropylene polymer is melted down and extruded into fine fibers. These are then cooled and rolled which in turn creates a fabric that is woven in appearance. The main difference when comparing 'woven' has to its non-woven counterpart, this process requires no thread to be woven in and out of a fabric in order to create it. The result is a finished product. Due to the simple process through which non-woven bags are made, they are usually inexpensive to make and purchase. This ties in with a belief that in order for a product to be environmentally friendly it must be costly; a belief which is not shared by everyone. This may affect the consumer's decision when choosing to purchase either a non-woven bag or an alternative environmentally friendly option, as some are idealists and may view the more costly product as a status symbol in displaying their environmental concern.

The UK study compared each bag to a standard trash bag, and the US study compared each bag to a standard grocery bag. As there are no known standards for each type of bag studied, the studies made assumptions that the bags compared to an LDPE bag were the standard type of bags used for each application. The bag performance is considered the practical use of a bag, i.e., how much weight it can hold. This was tested by putting weight in the bags until it stretched the bag 20mm off the base and recorded the maximum weight held. Any bag that could hold at least 5kg of groceries was deemed a passable performance bag. Weight is used as it is both a common and convenient measure. An assumption was made that the force on a bag is predominantly due to the weight inside it.

When studying non-woven bags, one must also consider alternative eco-friendly bags to compare and contrast what makes non-woven bags more or less practical. The two alternative bags that will be compared to non-woven bags are polyester bags and cotton bags. Two studies from the UK and the US have compared the two options of bags to many alternative bags ranging from PVC to Nylon. They compared the bags by looking at each bag's overall environmental impact and its performance. The studies used a method of "Relative Assessment" of each bag compared to a standard LDPE disposable carrier bag and then compared the performance and environmental impact of alternative bags to the standard bag.

There are several other alternatives to non-woven bags, including paper, polythene, and cotton. There is a great deal of variation within each of these types of bags, and each has different strengths and weaknesses. In terms of non-woven polypropylene bags, they are somewhat stronger and more robust than standard polythene bags. However, the production of polypropylene is not especially eco-friendly, as it is derived from hydrocarbons and produces a greenhouse effect, although this is disputed by the polypropylene industry. Polypropylene is also non-biodegradable. Polythene bags are inexpensive and light but have very low strength and have been the subject of environmental tax and boycott by some supermarkets. The Co-op recently announced that it will phase out the distribution of all polythene bags and replace them with bags for life, offering customers a rebate for 2 years, and then with an oxo-biodegradable alternative. 

Paper bags are biodegradable and considered by some to be more acceptable than polythene, although this is contentious as the production of paper bags consumes trees and is a relatively high energy process, and with recycling into account, global warming potential is higher for paper than polythene. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags are stronger than paper but still not as strong as non-woven polypropylene. Oxo-biodegradable polythene bags are made from HDPE, with an added catalyst that causes the bag to degrade in the presence of oxygen. These bags are relatively new, and data regarding their environmental impact is not yet conclusive. Starch-based biodegradable bags are also a fairly recent development and have been increasing in popularity. These bags come in various forms, including biodegradable polythene and compostable, and are produced from renewable resources, with a minimum greenhouse impact. 

The greatest strength of these bags is biodegradability, and in the case of composting bags, the ability to be composted along with organic waste. However, compared to traditional plastic bags, the cost of starch-based bags is significantly higher. Cotton bags are growing in popularity, deemed more fashionable than polythene and often used as a promotional tool. Like non-woven bags, they are multi-use, washable, and quite strong. However, the energy and resources required to produce cotton are significantly higher than those of non-woven polypropylene. The primary issue is water consumption, with approximately 2700 liters of water being required to produce 1kg of cotton. In terms of eco-friendliness, it is therefore debatable whether cotton bags are a better alternative to non-woven.

With the anticipated future bans on once-popular plastic materials, the demand for eco-friendly alternatives like non-woven bags is expected to surge. This article compares non-woven bags with other eco-friendly options, such as woven and paper bags, and concludes that non-woven bags outperform these alternatives in both cost-effectiveness and functionality. As a result, non-woven bags are projected to see a higher demand. This shift is likely to increase the consumption of carbohydrates in the production of non-woven bags, significantly impacting the environment positively by reducing the reliance on non-renewable energy sources. Moreover, perishable goods such as spinach and lettuce maintain their quality better when vacuum-sealed in non-woven bags. According to the life cycle inventory (LCI), non-woven fabric demonstrates the least environmental impact among bag materials, considering factors like energy consumption, global warming potential, resource depletion, acidification, and aquatic toxicity. This advantage is attributed to the long shelf life and recyclability of non-woven bags. Despite their current status as the most viable alternative to traditional plastic bags, further research and investment are necessary to develop an even more environmentally friendly product. Non-woven bags manufacturers are at the forefront of this innovative push towards sustainable packaging solutions.

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