Bags, Bags, More Bags - Part 3

Warning, rant ahead.

I just can't help myself. This post is prompted by a flyer we received in our mailbox from a well-known retailer of handbags and luggage, advertising what else, but eco-friendly bags. OK, so the LCBO has banned the use of plastic bags and others retailers are starting to encourage the use of re-usable bags (which I still think is fantastic, but we have a ways to go yet). Now all your Walmarts, Zellers, The Bay and I could name a few other handfuls, are selling eco-friendly bags en masse. I wonder, just how eco-friendly are these bags? Sure, they are meant to be re-used, but how eco-friendly was the manufacturing process? Do they still contain plastics or were they made with recycled materials (those get brownie points)? Were they made with regular cotton or organic cotton (more brownie points)? Where were they made, by whom and under what conditions? China? Thailand? The Philippines? You get the idea. And finally, are they really going to be reused or just forgotten in the trunk of someone's car, prompting them to buy a few more each trip?

I don't know about you, but I already have dozens of reusable cloth bags sitting at home without needing an extra supply from big box stores, though I admit that the black grocery bags from Loblaws are hugely useful, resilient and the perfect size. From book bags given out by the local library, to "giveaways" from conferences I attended and bags my mum sewed for my groceries, I don't really need Walmart et al. to supply me with their version of the new (almost disposable) "eco-friendly" bag so that I can ease my conscience (and theirs). And I don't need a cloth bag to coordinate with my every outfit. Of course, we can't expect giant retailers to get that the whole "earth-friendly" movement is actually about consuming less (or what I like to call responsible consumerism) so we need to make our own decisions about which bandwagon to jump on.