The Problem with Plastic Bags

1
Talent2Trade

• The Problem with Plastic Bags

2
The Problem

• 13 billion plastic bags are given away each year
• which can take up to 1,000 years to decay
• An estimated 200 million plastic bags litter the
  countryside
• 800 are issued to every family each year
• They are used for just 20 minutes before being
  dumped
• Fewer than 10 in 1000 are recycled

3
The Problem

• In the Pacific Ocean, a plastic soup has engulfed
  an area twice the size of the US and is estimated
  to double in size in the next 10 years.
• Plastic waste in the ocean kills around 100,000
  wales, dolphins, seals, turtles and other large
  animals each year.
• 90 of the debris in our oceans is plastic

4
Why paper bags are not the answer

• Scientists claim that paper bags use 6 times more
  energy to produce than plastic.
• They usually fall apart before they can be
  reused.
• They release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in
  landfill sites
• They use the same amount of oil as plastic to
  make
• Paper is harder to recycle, It takes 91 less
  energy to recycle plastic than paper.

5
The Solution

• Cotton bags grown in India have very little
  impact on the environment as the cotton is
  normally grown from seed sewn by hand
• The fibre will naturally biodegrade without
  harming the environment
• One cotton shopper can replace hundreds of
  plastic bags in its lifetime

6
Why Fairtrade?

• Helps farmers in developing countries get a fair
  price covering their production costs.
• Supports small farmers in becoming independent of
  government and development aid.
• Contributes to better healthcare and education
  through the Fairtrade premium.
• Builds trust by booking in advance and committing
  to long term transparent partnerships.

7
Why organic?

• High pesticide use causes debt and despair among
  small cotton farmers in India, resulting in
  severe health problems and an alarming rate of
  suicides,
• some 4500 in the state of Andhra Pradesh
  alone in the last 10 years.
• Hothouse products are made from pesticide free
  and in-conversion to organic cotton, which means
  within a 3 to 4 year period, farmers become 100
  organic certified.

8
The ethics

• By designing an Eco friendly product with
  Fairtrade cotton Organics you help towards a
  better world, with sustainably grown cotton and a
  better deal for farmers.

9
Links

• www.messageinthewaves.com/
• www.abolishplasticbags.com

http//archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/reports/tbosf
/tbosf.html
http//www.mindfully.org/Water/2006/Sea-Plague-Pla
stic2aug06.htm
http//www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article17
17476.ece
http//www.planetark.com/campaignspage.cfm/newsid/
7/story.htm20
http//www.reusablebags.com/news.php
http//www.plasticbagfree.com/