Paper Bags

Opting for a sustainable packaging solution and buying brown paper bags.

Currently, 15 percent of German citizens opt for a brown paper bag at the supermarket checkout instead of a plastic bag. Despite this, brown bags have the image of being environmentally friendly. However, they are considered less resilient. These two sentences already outline the problem. A one hundred percent satisfactory solution to the packaging dilemma has yet to be found.

If paper carrier bags are brown, they are generally more environmentally friendly in the eco-balance. They are reusable, decomposable and recyclable. However, they consume more resources in the manufacturing process. Paper bag manufacturing pollutes the air and water more than plastic bags. In addition, paper bags are not considered tear-resistant. It is important to look at the raw materials used in their manufacture. Bags made from wood fiber or recycled paper result in different ecological burdens. If they are printed or laminated, the eco-balance changes again.

Brown paper bags generate around 60 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) during production. Plastic bags generate twice as much CO2. A cotton bag tops these values with about 1700 grams of carbon dioxide. For a brown bag, the maxim is: choose paper carrier bag for a gift as consciously as possible. Buy brown paper bags and reuse them as often as possible. Now let's look at the benefits of paper bags in detail.

What features make the paper shopping bag so special?

In the United States, paper bags are ubiquitous. In drugstores or supermarkets, goods are packed in paper bags. Mostly brown paper bags without handles are available in drugstores. It is considered indelicate to carry alcohol home without a bag. So it is clear: a small brown paper bag can serve to conceal consumer goods as well as a printed image and advertising medium for labels with a big name.

In our country, the plastic bag has long been ahead despite all the environmental laws. But the brown paper bag is currently making a comeback. New environmental laws and the ban on certain plastic bags are responsible for this. Environmentally conscious people prefer brown paper bags when they have forgotten their cotton bag or need a second paper carrier bag. Many a posh store on Sylt uses paper carrier bags. These are colored in white, red or black.

Paper bags are stable means of transport made of thicker paper. They can be made in any size and design. They range from thin baker's bags for three rolls to elegant paper carrier bags from luxury labels. Paper bags are not always brown. Mainly paper carrier bags are given in the supermarket. Thin plastic bags continue to dominate at the weekly market.

Who wants to shop environmentally conscious, uses paper bags brown with handle. This material is recyclable, reusable, printable and more resilient in terms of stability than some people think. Large or small brown paper bags can have handles made of paper or twisted paper cords. However, there are also brown paper bags without handles. These are also called paper bags. With this all-purpose packaging, you are ecologically ahead - especially if you use a brown paper bag several times to transport purchased goods. The more often you reuse already used paper bags, the better the ecological balance.

Paper bags brown are used to transport food, clothing, office supplies or a gift. They stand for carrying comfort, different amount of capacity as well as a renewable material: paper. The paper bag differs in its stability from its make or purpose as well as from the stability of the paper used. Kraft paper is particularly strong in this respect.

Small & large brown bags and their versatile uses

Large and small paper bags brown score with versatility in terms of use. They serve as bakery bags, as transport bags for clothes or food, as carrier bags for beautiful gifts. They are suitable as garbage bags made of kraft paper to dispose of discarded clothing. Brown paper bags offers itself as a dust cover or as a basis for creative handicrafts. Many things can be made from bags that have been used once. You can paint or print brown discarded bags and thereby individualize. Many companies want to use a brownish bag as a marketing tool.

Customers see an image gain in paper carrier bags from certain labels. Some Aldi shoppers use unprinted brownish bags to camouflage their thriftiness. Paper carrier bags reduce environmental pollution because they can be decomposed. If handled carefully, they can be reused several times. They are also made from renewable material. The wood fiber required comes from local, ecologically managed forests. The substance of these forests is preserved through reforestation. Reforestation projects and new forest areas also work against climate change.

Paper bags brown consist either of waste paper, stable kraft paper or coated paper is used. In Germany, brownish colors or white are preferred for paper carrier bags. Black looks more noble. You can also find carrier bags in red or blue. Clothing stores prefer to use carrier bags in company colors because of the "corporate design". The design of paper carrier bags is varied.

One could therefore declare paper carrier bags to be collectors' items. The biodegradability of paper bags is advantageous. In the sea, a brown paper bag survives only a short time. In contrast to the plastic bag, it soon dissolves. Brown paper is just as useful for transporting purchases as it is for making cardboard boxes. Depending on the thickness, the paper bag brown can reach a load capacity of up to 14 kilograms. But brown paper is considered by many as not noble enough. It reminds of wrapping paper.

Therefore, white paper is often preferred for carrier bags. Coated paper, which is more difficult to dispose of, is often used here. Paper and coating cannot be separated. It is therefore all the more important to exploit the reusability of sachets and carrier bags. There is more to the material than meets the eye. When they buy a bag, they do something good for the environment and save a little money in the process.

The paper in a brown paper bag can be recycled up to five times. Apart from that, users can use kraft paper shopping bags x number of times. Small bags are used to protect new clothes or transport gifts. Can be made in any format and are amazingly strong. However, the glued handle of a paper carrier bag should not be loaded with more weight than the bag can bear. Anyone carrying six glass liter bottles in a paper tote bag should handle the paper bag with care.

If a paper carrier bag has not proven to be sufficiently strong, it should still be kept. It can serve as wrapping paper or gift wrapping.

The paper bag without / with handle and its different product designs from small to large.

Bags and carrier bags can be made in different sizes and qualities. Four standard sizes have been established for paper carrier bags:

Paper bags brown small have a size of 24 x 18 x 8 cm. They can hold 3.5 liters, and their average carrying capacity is a maximum of 5 kilograms. A paper carrier bag size M has dimensions 33 x 24 x 11 cm. Its capacity is 8.7 liters and its carrying capacity is surprisingly high at 6 kilograms. L size carrier bags have a size of 41 x 32 x 12 cm. They hold 15.7 liters and convince with a maximum carrying capacity of 10 kilograms. A size XL carrier bag has a volume of 45 x 40 x 16 cm, a capacity of 28.8 liters and a carrying capacity of 28.8 kilograms. These are values that every user can rely on. It is important that you choose the right paper bag. It must be adapted to the purpose of use.

All the level reading already forgotten? Here again in the overview:

Size S
24 x 18 x 8 cm
3,5 l
carrying capacity: max. 5 kg

Size M
33 x 24 x 11 cm
8,7 l
carrying capacity: max. 6 kg

Size L
41 x 32 x 12 cm
15,7 l
Carrying capacity: max. 10 kg

Size XL
45 x 40 x 16 cm
28,8 l
Carrying capacity max. 14 kg

In principle, paper carrier bags can be produced in all colors of the rainbow. The most commonly used colors for paper carrier bags, besides brown, are white, black and red. In principle, paper carrier bags can also be made in blue, green or yellow, as well as in silver or gold color.

Basically, paper bags can be made with handles, but also without. They are mostly made of recycled paper. Both are 100 percent recyclable. The fact that paper carrier bags can be printed or painted in many ways, every child knows. Most often, the paper bag kraft paper is brown. What once served as packaging can become craft material, used in the shoe closet as protection from dust or put to other uses.

Incidentally, anyone can make a package for a gift from a used paper bag. If you don't have a suitable carrier bag, you can make a paper carrier bag yourself. You can find instructions on how to make one at Utopia.

What are paper bags and paper pouches made of?

By nature, not all paper bags are brown. Regardless of colors, sizes, and uses, every brown bag is made from the same renewable resource: wood fiber. Different processing methods can give paper carrier bags and sachets different properties.

Kraft paper is brown. Since it can be made from recycled paper, it is the most environmentally friendly paper. Its density is 80-120 g/m². Nowadays, the paper can be purchased in washable and waterproof form of use as a paper backpack. It is known as a cost-efficient brown paper. It used to be used for wrapping packages. We also use it in the form of supermarket carrier bags. The material itself is light. It has great flexibility, pleasing resistance to moisture and high tear strength.

For white paper, the wood fiber must undergo chemical bleaching and subsequent dyeing. It is then compressed in several layers, making it more resilient, thicker and stronger than kraft paper. Its density can be 210-300 g/m². This makes white paper suitable for making pizza boxes, transporting pieces of cake or a gift, and as a printed carrier bag for a clothing store.

Black paper also requires chemical bleaching of the wood fiber. Then the paper is colored by means of black ink. It is compacted in several layers. Black paper is also pleasingly stable. It is also thicker and stronger than kraft paper. Printing with inks is difficult due to lack of opacity. Prints with white inks are feasible. Black paper with gold or silver embossing looks noble. Black paper is preferred by luxury labels.

Coated paper has an average density of 80 to 250 g/m². The result of the complex manufacturing process is a softer paper. Coated paper is nevertheless pleasingly stable. It is preferred as an attractively designed shopping carrier bag. Since coated paper is difficult to dispose of, most of it is thermally recycled.

It is advisable to use coated paper several times until it has reached its service life. Carrier bags made of coated paper are ideal for printing. A printed paper carrier bag becomes an image carrier and a marketing object. Coated paper can withstand drizzle without any problem.

Advantages of kraft paper carrier bag

Will brown paper carrier bags become more important in the future to tackle the plastic waste problem? In principle, yes. But not under every condition. It is a sign of environmentally friendly paper if the paper carrier bag is brownish.
Then it is made of recycled paper and can be recycled a maximum of four times after it is made.

The longer someone uses kraft paper carrier bags, the higher the environmental benefit. If you compare the decomposability of paper and plastic bags, the winner is clear: A paper bag made of kraft paper needs a maximum of six months to decompose completely. A plastic bag takes an estimated 400 to 500 years. However, no one can calculate this exactly.

It depends on the circumstances and the density of the material how long the decomposition process takes. Plastic waste, which makes up the "Great Garbage Patch," poses an environmental problem for several hundred years. The microplastic that accumulates creates further problems. It is highly likely to end up on our dinner plate at some point.Large and small brown paper bags with handles are preferable to all tote bags in other colors and to coated tote bags from an environmental and carbon footprint standpoint.

Coated paper carrier bags have the worst carbon footprint. However, they offer other advantages. In general, brown bags are inexpensive and cost-efficient from an economic perspective. As an advertising medium and marketing tool, paper bags are unbeatably valuable. They are resilient, resistant and recyclable. The disposal of paper bags is problem-free. The wood fiber required is a renewable resource.

Brownish bags do not pollute the environment because the paper is 100 percent decomposable. It simply becomes compost. Carrier bags and sachets made from this paper are versatile. They can also be used in many ways and can be produced in virtually any desired format. The only important thing is that users do not dispose of the bags immediately after use. This means that the paper bags are recycled. However, multiple use would be much less harmful to the environment. It is therefore preferable.

Recycling processes cost energies, just like the production of a paper bag brown. Recently, we have become aware of the costs because of skyrocketing energy prices. Anything that costs vast amounts of energy is no longer economical, efficient or cost effective. Thanks to local woods, a bag can be produced inexpensively. Through reforestation, the wood fiber used becomes a renewable resource.

However, even these resources should not be wasted, because the growth of trees is slow. A paper door, if handled carefully, can last longer than most people realize. At the end of its life, it can be disposed of as a compost bag in the compost bin. For this to happen, however, the paper must not be printed or coated. In addition, it is important to note that the bottom of the bag can become soggy.

Tips for buying a paper bag

It is interesting that a brownish bag is often perceived as more elegant than a colorful plastic bag. Clearly, there has been a shift in thinking among consumers and business owners. Both see the bags not only as a useful means of transport. They also value them as brand ambassadors.

If you want to buy paper bags soon, pay attention to the quality of the paper. Look closely at the material, note the load-bearing capacity and the filling capacity. Check factors such as recyclability and decomposability. In the trade, certain minimum order quantities must be observed. Also important are the payment options offered and the availability of the desired items in terms of quantity.