Ban Your Bag

In April of 2008 we thought it was time to trash plastic bags.

They seemed to be everywhere—they’re littering our streets, are harmful to the environment and they kill wildlife. Most shoppers use a plastic bag for less than an hour, but it takes up to 1,000 years for it to break down in the environment. Many cities and countries around the world have taken action to limit the use of plastic bags, but very little has happened in North America which is why we took up the cause.

The Campaign

We hit the streets with our "Bag Monster" and a petition to support the ban of plastic bags. To help stop the addiction to plastic, we convinced people to swap their plastic bags for a durable, reusable cloth bag instead. Promoting reusable canvas bags is one of the many things we can do to help reduce our carbon footprint. Considering that 12 million barrels of oil are used every year to make America’s plastic bags, banning their use will have a significant impact on halting climate change, too.

The Outcome

With billions of plastic bags being used every year, many retailers have chosen to discontinue using plastic bags in favor of paper bags or offering reusable canvas bags. We choose to use 100% recycled paper bags for customers that need them, but of course, paper bags aren’t perfect either. Thankfully, some cities agree and have placed considerable restrictions on plastic bag use, including banning them altogether.