Shops cottoning on with eco-friendly bags (From The Argus)

Shops cottoning on with eco-friendly bags

11:29am Tuesday 19th June 2007

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City centre traders have unveiled an eco-friendly shopping bag.

Three artists submitted designs for the reusable cotton carrier, which will be issued to shoppers in Brighton's North Laine in August.

The winning effort has a prominent 100 per cent logo in blue lettering, with the words "recyclable, biodegradable, fairtrade cotton" beneath it.

It also features the North Laine logo and website.

The bag was the brainchild of Eddie Start, who runs the Open Spaces outdoor shop in Trafalgar Street and is a member of the North Laine Traders Association (NLTA).

He has spent the past 12 months researching bags and sourcing ethical suppliers.

The association opted for Londonbased Supreme Creations, which runs a fair trade factory in India.

The bags will be shipped to England rather than flown over.

Mr Start said: "There are countries all over the world, including Ireland, where plastic bags have been banned or taxed or had some kind of restriction put upon them.

"Unfortunately, in this country and in Scotland we have seen very powerful lobbying from the plastics industry, which has prevented that happening.

"So we felt we had to do something to make the move.

"From a business point of view it also makes sense to shift away from plastic carrier bags to more durable ones. You have to buy plastic bags in bulk, maybe 5,000 to 10,000 a time, depending on how much product you shift.

"That's quite an outlay for a small business and they just end up as something to put the cat litter in or being kicked around the street, annoying the neighbours."

Peter Stocker, NLTA secretary, said: "We have worked long and hard to come up with a durable, fair trade cotton bag, which we hope will be used again and again by our customers.

"The NLTA has always tried to promote best practice and come up with innovative, practical solutions for our members."

Last year, shopkeepers in Modbury, Devon, made their small town the first place in Britain to rid itself of plastic bags. All 43 shops, including the Co-op supermarket, now issue reusable bags and biodegradable tubs and carriers to their customers.

British shoppers use 20 billion plastic bags a year. Most end up in landfill sites.

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