It's the only planet we have folks!

The Australians are leading the world in a voluntary switch away from plastic bags, but the results are clearly not enough.

According to figures from this year's Clean Up Australia campaign, retail sectors other than supermarkets have only reduced their plastic bag use by between 10 and 15 per cent over the past couple of years, and the number of plastic bags in the litter stream is rising rather than falling.

Figures showed that while major supermarkets had achieved a near 27 per cent reduction in the number of plastic bags issued in the past year, other stores had been slow to follow.

IBISWorld general manager Jason Baker said the problem was that in many cases the significant costs involved outweighed the benefits for the companies, despite what might be best for the environment as a whole.

"Until companies, and therefore consumers, are forced to pay the 'full cost' of producing polluting energy or other products - including paying for the cleaning up and avoidance of air and water pollution, or recycling and disposal services - they won't be encouraged to develop 'clean' alternatives, such as wind power or effluent-free farms," Mr Baker said.



In contrast consumption of plastic bags in Ireland dropped 90% within a year of imposing a 12 cent tax on plastic bags.

The problem is very serious and taxation appears to be the most productive way to go.

Clean Up Australia says men are the weaker sex when it comes to saying "no" to plastic bags.

A national Newspoll conducted by the environmental organisation shows 50 per cent of women are likely to refuse a plastic bag, but just one-in-three men say 'no'.

A third of men surveyed say they prefer to use plastic bags over reusable bags, compared to just one-in-five women.

Everyone’s been telling me this for years. That we’re the dumber sex.



But could it be that we are just more insecure?

No woman’s feminine identity is threatened by being seen carrying a cloth bag for her groceries. Are men concerned that they’d look like wimps carrying a cloth bag? Most cloth shopping bags are designed to look like the kind of totes women carry.

A corporate client (a male) who regularly orders giveaway bags for the trade shows he attends on behalf of his company gave me some insight into this.

Most totes, he mentioned, look too feminine, and male visitors to trade shows feel awkward carrying them.

We worked with him to design a jute + cotton tote with longer handles that men could sling over their shoulders without getting this feeling.

He wrote in after the show telling us that the design was a big hit, and preferred by everyone (males particularly, but women included) to the bags other exhibitors were handing out.

It was particularly gratifying, he added, that most folks catching flights out after the show, had his bags slung over their shoulders at the airport also.

At Norquest, we work hard to find the most appropriate solution to our clients’ needs and enjoy putting in the effort to customize solutions for their needs. See the vast selection we have on show at http://badlani.com/bags and if you don’t see something that appeals, brief us and we’ll work towards creating a bag for your specific needs.

Sensitivity to such issues can go a long way in encouraging everyone to reduce plastic bag usage. Younger people would prefer backpacks. We have a great line of very economical backpacks too.

Who said all shopping bags need to be cut from the same cloth?

Our laws are some of the most progressive in the world, but enforcement is zilch.

We have strict laws against production, storage, use, sale and distribution of polythene bags.

Himachal Pradesh, a state that earns much of its revenues because of its scenic beauty, was the first to implement it. In theory.

In theory you can be fined upto a lakh of Rupees (US$ 2000) or be sent to jail for upto 7 years.

In practice, no one has ever paid that fine leave alone spend time in the cooler.



Most Indian citizens are completely unaware of the law and you see plastic bags flying around everywhere.

The Indian cow, considered sacred and an object of worship, is one of the worst victims. 95 per cent of urban India’s stray cattle are suffering from various ailments due to hazardous materials inside their abdomen. 90 per cent are plastic bags.

We ship reusable cotton bags every day of the week to the whole world from our website http://www.badlani.com/bags but we have no buyers in India.

Sponsorship from Landmark Narromine, a real estate company is helping the Narromine Shire Council rid their community of plastic bags.

Narromine Shire Council is encouraging all residents to take advantage of the current 'Plastic Bag Swap Op' where calico bags are given free to residents when they bring in 20 plastic bags to the Narromine Council Chambers, Tomingley BP or the Trangie Library.

"There have been more than 16,000 bags bought in since the swap program started, which is a great result," Miss Cartwright said.

You know what that means in terms of sponsorship money? 16000 divided by 20 is 800 cotton bags. That would (or ought to) have cost them maybe $ 2 each.

Look at the image payoff. The sponsor looks like a very responsible corporate citizen and deservedly earns goodwill and trust.

Earning the gratitude of any entire city and all the attendant publicity that comes with it for under $ 2000? Ever heard of such a thing?

Those 800 bags will be taken out for shopping trips maybe 300 times each. That’s 2,40,000 eyeballs for such a small cost.

Much better bang for your corporate buck than sponsoring something gimmicky, wouldn’t you say?

Write to us today and we’ll work out a cost-effective program for your company. See the attractive and economical bags at http://www.badlani.com/bags

Barbara Wallraff tells us in the The Atlantic Monthly that this is what the Irish call fugitive plastic bags that fly around and snag everywhere. Completely fitting.



Lee Buenaventura, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, felt nearly the same way, but she suggested giving the term a "tweak" to Americanize it: witches' britches.

Other interesting American terms: Urban Tumbleweed, Shoppers' Kites; Sheilah Zimpel, of Raleigh, North Carolina, wrote, "Here in the South we call that white trash."

A whole new lexicon is emerging to describe this blight. I’ll soon add some non-American terms that are being used.

What words would you use to describe things that are killing animals and marine life, poisoning your food, compromising the masculinity of unborn boys or being just plain ugly? All contributions welcome.

The reusable bags we offer at http://www.badlani.com/bags are attractive, affordable and a whole lot healthier for our planet and for our lives.

Clearly they are a more evolved society than most others. Elsewhere, governments are facing opposition from retailers when they propose a tax on plastic bags, but not in Japan.

Here, the Japan Chain Stores Association have themselves called for a law to enable stores to charge customers for plastic shopping bags.

The industry body said retailers have incurred growing costs for recycling plastic trays and other recyclable containers. It said if those costs continue to increase, some retailers might become unable to shoulder the burden and Japan's "recycling system might collapse."

What an admirable perspective. Smart guys, the Japanese. Look at how clean Japan is.




Bring in a tax on plastic bags and usage does drop. It fell 95% in Ireland.

Getting used to carrying reusable cloth bags is obviously something humans can adapt to fairly quickly.

For those who forget to carry it or want the luxury of not needing to carry it, a small tax makes sense. Before plastic bags started getting distributed free after the 70s, we managed didn’t we?

Reusable cloth bags are attractive and affordable as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags

The Green Students Council in Hong Kong conducted a survey outside 25 supermarkets and found that 90% of the respondents supported a tax on plastic bags.



Hong Kong consumers use 6.7 billion plastic bags a year, or 1,294 plastic bags per person.

Taiwan and Ireland have sharply reduced the use plastic bags by imposing levies three years ago. The Taiwanese, who used to use 909 bags per head, have reduced consumption by 80%.

Ireland's consumers used one billion plastic bags annually, or 256 plastic bags a person, before a similar levy was introduced in March 2002. Since then Irish retailers have reported a 90 percent drop in the number of plastic bags used while the government raised 9.6 million euros (HK$94.57 million) in the first year of the levy.

Despite this, Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works Sarah Liao said charging people HK$1 for each plastic bag is very complex and alternative proposals should be considered.

Sounds like the Indian government. Things that are simple for others become complex for us. But I’m surprised to hear this from Hong Kong.

Governments! 90% of the people say tax plastic bags and the government thinks it’s too complex. I ask you!

The culprit is an ingredient in plastic goods called phthalates says a story in The Guardian.

They seep into your food from plastic packaging and get into your bloodstream.

Result: ‘Women with higher levels of four different phthalates were more likely to have baby boys with a range of conditions, from smaller penises and undescended testicles to a shorter perineum, the distance between the genitals and the anus,’ said the report.

"Every aspect of male identity is altered when you see this in male animals," the article quoted Fred vom Saal, professor of reproductive biology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, as saying. Levels of aggression, parenting behaviour and even learning speeds were affected, he said.

The differences indicate a feminisation of the boys similar to that seen in animals exposed to the chemicals.

Ouch!

Switching to buying unpackaged food and carrying it home in our natural cotton bags seems like a smart thing to do, doesn’t it?

Reusable cotton bags are attractive and affordable, as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags

Used plastic bags can do immense harm if allowed to choke landfill or left free to be eaten by innocent animals and marine life.

But they can be used for good if used as a raw material. That’s what we decided to do. I spoke to my designer friends Prakash Vani and Himadri Ghosh and that is what we’ve been trying to do.



This little picture shows you the junk we started with, the very basic looms we worked with and some of the beautiful bags and textures we could create.

Feels really good to be able to take something awful and turn it into something so delightful.

Read the whole story at http://www.badlani.com/recycle

I realize that this is a modest achievement, but it is meaningful to us and I imagine even more so to the folks who can benefit from it. But I also see that it has immense potential for good.

I'd love your input on how we can take this forward from here. Please take a moment to share your thoughts with me. Ideally, I'd like to identify people and agencies who can assist in the process of bringing to market the products that emerge from this exercise.

All thoughts will be more than welcome. And if there is anything you can bring to the table, we'd love to work with you.

Write to me at rajiv @ badlani.com

Fitzroy Falls sets a fine example of how this can easily be done.

Some cities in Australia did this by having their local government invest in cloth bags and hand them out free to every citizen.

Some cities that thrive on tourism had citizens take a pledge to each buy and use cloth bags.

But Fitzroy Falls has followed what appears to be simplest path. They utilized the local retail network and citizens bought cloth bags from the retailers they do business with.

The local council imported cloth bags at a lower cost because they could place a larger order than any individual could.

Then they sold them to local retailers who are allowed to mark them up so that they can make some money on them and order more.

Deputy Mayor Nick Campbell-Jones said the declaration of Fitzroy Falls as a plastic bag-free town was an example for the rest of the shire to follow.

"This is the first locally-branded, re-useable shopping bag in the area and it goes some way towards the creation of a sustainable community," he said.

Local students were encouraged to come up with a design for the re-useable bags which would express an environmentally responsible message and also promote the Fitzroy Falls region.

"Early on we realised that the best way to proceed with the campaign was by consulting with the local community. We spoke to local businesses to establish what their issues of concern were as well as getting the kids involved in creating the design," Ms Katz said.

"The launch today shows that even small communities can make a stand against plastic bags and offer viable alternatives."

Diane Garwood stressed the environmental damage plastic bags do to the environment.

"Plastic bags have an enormous impact on the marine environment and are responsible for the deaths of 100,000 birds, seals or wild turtles every year," she said.

Would you like your community to be plastic bag free? Write today to Rajiv@badlani.com and I’ll be happy to work out a specific plan for your community.

You can select from the vast variety we have at www.badlani.com/bags and we’ll be happy to print your community’s message on them for you.