Paper Carry Bags – A Better Option

On the back of the news last week that Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is banning the single use plastic bag, we feel it’s a good opportunity to talk about the decline of the plastic bag and the rise of the paper bag in the take away hospitality industry.

Let’s talk about bags.

Why Plastic Bags Suck

Plastic bags are the worst thing for the environment since, well, plastic bags.

What makes plastic bags so bad for the environment is that once their short useful lifespan has elapsed (on average 12 minutes) they then spend the next thousand years breaking down.

That means that plastic bags accumulate in both land and aquatic environments, polluting waterways and posing a poisoning and choking risk to all manner of wildlife.

With an estimated 300 million plastic bags entering the ocean every year the plastic pollution situation has reached crisis point.

In the same way that the industry wants to move away from plastic straws, there is a definite push to move away from single use plastic bags.

If environmental factors aren’t a motivator for you, lets talk practicality. Putting hot food in plastic bags causes them to sweat. This can result in whatever products are in the bag receiving up to half an hour of steaming you didn’t include in the recipe (depending on transport time). This has a negative effect on how your food is experienced, which hurts customer perception of your product.

Paper Bags – Stylish and Environmentally Friendly

The most obvious replacement to your plastic bags are your kraft paper bags.

Reasons Paper Bags Are Better

1. Environmental – Whereas plastic bags have limited potential for recycling, and a complete inability to biodegrade. Paper bags can be recycled or biodegraded if properly disposed of.
2. Look better – A wise man once said ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’. Same applies to your products. Cheaping out on your packaging in the social media age sends the world a clear message. And that message is your venue is only interested in doing the bare minimum. When you go to the jeweller do you leave with a paper or plastic bag?
3. Branding- Heavily related to reason number 2. Paper bags open up a range of options. You can have them custom printed, you can use stamps or you can use stickers to put your venue’s logo on the carryware.
4. Variety- Plastic bags come in limited sizes, none designed with flat bottoms. This can make stacking whatever packaging your products come in difficult and restrictive. Paper bags come in a variety of sizes and styles. This allows your venue to showcase its individuality as well as allowing you an easier time when packing said bags.
5. No Sweating – Putting hot food in a plastic bag will cause it to sweat. Paper bags allow the goods to breathe, preventing this sweating occuring.

While paper bags have always been the bag of choice for smaller bakery items (pies, rolls, pastries) we are now seeing a resurgence in paper carry bags.

We have the flat bottomed- self opening bags if you are after that vintage grocery store aesthetic.

We also have handled paper bags with both the flat handle and twisted handle. Both of these come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are capable of holding whatever meal combination your venue is selling.

View our range of Kraft paper carry bags here

Uber Eats has been a successful case study in how effective a marketing tool they can be. A simple logo printed on the side of a brown paper bag has become the iconic face of fast food in 2017.

If you would like to know more about paper bagging at your venue, please contact your rep or call us on Fruit Fly Ninja – Eliminates fruit flies fast.

Something to think about; If your venue makes a point of using kraft packaging, or other recyclable or biodegradable materials then serves it in a plastic bag, are you contradicting yourself?