Paper Bags

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

Currently, many German citizens opt for a brown paper bag at the supermarket checkout instead of a plastic bag to avoid plastic waste. 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.

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.

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 - usually because they are more resistant to moisture.

Whoever wants it a little more comfortable uses paper bags with handle. This material is usually recyclable, reusable, printable and more resilient in terms of stability than many 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. With this all-purpose packaging, you are economically ahead - especially if you use a brown paper bag several times to transport purchased goods. And with just a bit of care they can be reused multiple times.

Brown paper bags are used to transport food, clothing, office supplies or a gift. They stand for carrying comfort, different amount of capacity as well as a generally recyclable 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. If handled carefully, they can be reused several times. They are also mostly made from cardboard; in case, they get unusable, you can dispose of them in the waste paper bin. But be sure to remove remnants of adhesive tape or similar materials first!

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. Some variants are also compostable; this is indicated on the individual product. 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.

The paper in a brown paper bag can be recycled via your waste paper bin. Apart from that, users can use kraft paper shopping bags a 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 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. It can be made from mostly or all recycled paper. It's 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, some 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

Can brown paper carrier bags replace plastic bags? Generally speaking, yes: It can be used for almost any purpose plastic bags can be used for. But it is not water resistant, which is required for specific purposes.
Depending on the product, it can be recycled via your waste paper bin - if it is not polluted with plastic, like packaging tape or labels.

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.