Are We Shocked?

Research, providing our foundations, and relying on science and science will never divert us from the right path. It may be very assertive to say that there is always a truth no matter what they say, whatever they do, but let's not forget that mathematics never lies.

Sometimes smear campaigns, slanders, and public pressure can hide the facts. There will always be, and should be, someone who reveals the facts and shouts the truth, even knowing that he will be expelled from the nine villages. When scientists look at the full life cycle of plastic retail bags versus paper and cotton, plastic bags often come across as innocent. These studies have been done before, but a new one has been published from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Scientists here have modeled the effects of different types of shopping bags and determined that in cities like Singapore, disposable plastic bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) have a smaller environmental footprint than disposable paper and multi-use cotton bags.

The study revealed that reusable plastic bags made from polypropylene-based non-woven plastic are the most environmentally friendly option, followed by disposable plastic bags. It would also be fair to say that surveys of US consumers prove that the term "disposable" for retail plastic bags is a bit misleading, given that most consumers say they reuse plastic retail bags for dogs and cats. The NTU model revealed that cotton and kraft paper bags have relatively larger environmental footprints due to their greater contribution to global warming and the potential for eco-toxicity in their manufacture.

This study shows the same result as other research over the years: considering all the processes required for the production of paper and cotton bags, the footprint of these materials is much larger. For example, to make cotton bags, it requires gasoline or diesel as fuel for growing cotton, agricultural field preparation, planting and harvesting, water for growing cotton crops, weed killers to keep fields free of unwanted plant matter, and fuel for aircraft that sprays leaves on fields, Thus the cocoons can be easily harvested later with less plant material. Cotton must then be spun into yarn, cut into material and sewn into bags. Paper, on the other hand, is an energy and resource intensive process involving the use of trees, pulp and water. The environmental footprint of the disposable kraft paper bag is 80 times higher than the reusable plastic bag.

Are we surprised? We are not surprised… Do not be surprised !!! It is necessary to analyze the situation well. When we look carefully at the costs, usage areas and recycling of materials, there is actually no need for great research. It is necessary to see the facts and face the facts. We are the ones to protect the world, not the materials and their derivatives !!!