Single-use plastic bags are strangling the planet. And you are doing nothing to stop that. But you can. Switching to hemp cloth bags is a simple way to contribute. Read on to learn how.
The oceans are dying.
The Earth is getting choked.
Birds and animals are starving and suffocating.
We are next.
And who do we have to blame for all this? No one but ourselves.
But we still have time. (A little, not too much, though)
We can start growing hemp.
We can make hemp fabric out of it.
Then make carry bags out of them.
And that’s how we can save the planet.
What do hemp carry bags have to do with the oceans, the Earth, animals, and birds, or our lives?
Everything. As much as Batman has got to do with Gotham City.
They’ll save us, the animals and birds, the oceans, and the Earth.
Here’s how…
You are adding more plastic to the environment.
Every time you go out grocery shopping.
Every time you hit the mall.
Every time you buy anything.
Single-use plastic bags are the culprit.
- They are filling up landfills.
The first plastic bag was made in 1950. It might not have decomposed yet. Most people born in 1950 are dead today. The plastic bag is still here.
- Entering oceans and the water stream.
There are over 100 million tons of plastic in water bodies.
- Killing animals and birds, destroying their habit.
The plastic debris in oceans and seas takes the lives of a million sea creatures each year.
- And slowly, it is entering our food chain. Choking us. Making us sick. Leaving us on the verge of being wiped out.
Seafood. Yes, your favorite seafood is laced with traces of plastic. It could be the end of our species.
Even if you are vegan or vegetarian, remember that the water you drink comes from lakes and freshwater bodies. And yes, there’s groundwater. Plastic toxins from landfills seep down to the ground, into the groundwater that runs through your taps. Exposure to plastic and its toxins causes cancer. And other deadly diseases.
It isn’t a dystopian future.
It’s the reality.
Now, ask yourself, is the convenience of a plastic carry bag worth it?
Are you okay with turtles and whales and fish dying because you feel carrying a hemp cloth bag isn’t cool enough?
Are you okay with our water – the water that you drink too – getting polluted with toxins because you cannot seem to remember to take a reusable hemp bag every time you are out for grocery shopping?
Are you ready to die and see the end of the human race just because single-use plastic bags are convenient and you refuse to not use them?
Yeah, yeah, I can hear you shift uncomfortably in your seat. And to be honest, it isn’t your fault alone. Your poly bags are not the only ones made of deadly plastic.
Our world is plastic-run. Literally.
From the bottles in your refrigerator to your air-tight containers, and straws and cups, toys, building material, packaging material, and a lot more are made of plastic.
After all, we are producing 380 million tons of plastic each year.
So Why Just Talk About Plastic Carry Bags?
Because 50% of our plastic production is single-use. And that’s what causes the real danger.
Plastic carry bags are the worst of the lot.
The amount of damage that other plastic items cause is offset (to some extent) by their long useful lives.
The average working life of a plastic bag is 15 minutes.
They get discarded in the blink of an eye.
They need more resources for production to meet our needs.
The global consumption of plastic bags is around a trillion each year. That means every minute we end up using over 2 million plastic bags.
[This article has an average read time of 8 minutes. So while you read this, 16 million plastic bags have been used. And within 15 minutes, they’ll be discarded and all set to either overflow an already overflowing landfill or to choke the ocean a little more.]People like you and me cannot just get up one day and change the world.
Not everyone is as ambitious as Greta Thunberg, right? (Kudos to the strong Swedish teen, though. She is doing a lot more than we can ever hope to do ourselves!)
But we can take baby steps.
I am not asking you to give up plastic altogether. That isn’t even possible, actually.
If you could just give up on those single-use plastic carry bags, it would still be a good enough contribution towards the greater good.
Okay, fair. I’ll carry my cotton/paper carry bag for shopping next time. Is that enough?
No. Cotton and paper bags aren’t the solutions. Hemp cloth bags are.
Why Not Cotton And Paper Bags?
Cotton bags and paper bags are reusable. True.
But you will have to use a cotton bag 173 times to make up for the environmental damage and waste production caused during its cultivation, production, processing, and transportation.
That’s impossible, right?
And well, paper bags are made by cutting down trees. Not a nature-friendly alternative either.
But I won’t ask you to throw away the cloth and paper bags that you already own. Please use them till the end of their useful life. Dumping them unused would be counterintuitive to our goal.
But what I want you to do now is order hemp cloth bags.
And use them in the future.
Okay, a hemp cloth bag seller is trying to push the idea of using hemp bags across the table. Sounds like propaganda to me.
Well, just hear me out first.
Understand how hemp cloth bags make a difference and then switching or not is totally your call.
Hemp Cloth Bags: Reducing Single-Use Plastic Pollution One Bit At A Time
Hemp, a close cousin of the mind-altering, high-inducing marijuana, is a wonder crop.
Well, first things first.
For those of you who are wondering if it is legal – Yes, it is.
For those of you who are wondering if it would give you a high – No, it won’t.
Now, coming back to why hemp is a wonder crop.
- Hemp is biodegradable
Unlike plastic, which can take anywhere between 20 to 1000 years to break down, hemp quickly goes back to where it came from. It makes the soil richer in vital nutrients and can be used for composting and making manure. Or even just making the soil in your kitchen garden better.
No landfills will get filled. No oceans will get pumped with deadly microfibers.
Well, even cotton is biodegradable. Yes, but…
- An acre of hemp produces 1300 pounds of fiber on average.
Cotton’s average yield per acre, on the other hand, is not even 800 pounds. Land is a finite resource. And cultivable land is almost scarce. We cannot use all of it just to grow cotton for our grocery bags. We need to grow other things too, isn’t it?
Hemp with a higher yield is much more viable. Plus, it has a shorter growth cycle, between just 90 to 120 days. And it can be grown on the same land for about two decades. How? Because it doesn’t strip the soil of its nutrients. (Instead, its roots even bind the soil, preventing erosion.)
So, hemp is, in fact, a better crop than cotton. That makes it not just an alternative to the planet-killing plastic but also cotton.
- The crop requires 2,300 liters of water to produce 1kg of textile.
While we are talking about saving our oceans from plastic pollution, we also need to save water, in general, right?
As opposed to the 10,000 liters of water that goes into producing a kilogram of cotton textile, 2,300 liters for the same amount of hemp textile is a fair deal.
Even plastic pollution requires water. Water that gets infused with chemicals before being released to the oceans. Yes, that’s another way plastic spells havoc for the ocean and the ocean dwellers.
- Hemp crop is resistant to pests, insects, weeds, and diseases.
A super crop, remember? It doesn’t need chemicals or pesticides, or even fertilizers.
Growing hemp is the most environmentally friendly process. Curbing plastic pollution while not ruining the air, water or soil any further – sounds better than a one plus one offer, right?
- Hemp fabric is extremely durable.
Hemp was initially used to make ropes. That says a lot about how it is unfazed by regular wear and tear. Hearing stories of hemp clothes that have been passed down generations but don’t look that old isn’t out of the ordinary.
So your reusable hemp cloth bags will last really, really long. They might even outlive you. Well, that gives you one more thing worthy of passing down to your kids. (Maybe your grandchildren too!)
- It gets softer with use.
Myth: Hemp is coarse and would feel uncomfortable to touch.
Reality: Hemp can be processed to feel as smooth as any other fabric.
Bonus: Hemp gets softer with use. Every time you wash it, you’ll see it comes out feeling more comfortable and better than before.
Do I need to say any more?
- Hemp fabric is antibacterial.
SIngle-use plastic isn’t just threatening to kill us and ruin the planet after its useful life is over. It is deadly even when you are using it. Plastic exposure is real. And it is dangerous.
The greens that you are keeping in a polythene bag might get plastic polluted too.
Your fruits and vegetables are at stake. They aren’t safe in that plastic carry bag.
But hemp is 100% natural. Plus, it is antibacterial.
So it keeps your products even safer. Healthy grocery shopping isn’t complete without a hemp cloth bag, you see.
- Hemp cloth bags are NOT dull and boring.
Walking from the store to the parking lot or on your way home, your hemp bag won’t leave you looking dull, boring, or uncool.
Hemp cloth bags, unlike what’s commonly believed, are available in multiple colors. With different, eye-catching patterns and prints.
So rest assured you’d be looking cool and classy with your hemp cloth bag. And of course, you’ll be sending out a message of ‘save Earth from plastics.’ A win-win.
If a hemp cloth bag lasts for about 20 years in use, and a single-use plastic bag lasts for about 20 years in a landfill, you know which one is better, right?
You might not have ever counted or realized, but data suggests that, on average, each one of us uses 150 disposable, single-use plastic bags. No, not in a lifetime. Each year.
A single cloth bag can replace 150 plastic bags each year.
Now, I’ll leave you to calculate how much of an effect it will have on our oceans and our planet if the use of hemp cloth bags became a mass movement.
Governments all across the world are either banning or taxing the use of single-use plastic bags.
But I believe the only way we can actually make a difference is when we truly realize the dangers it poses. Once that is done, switching to hemp cloth bags seems like a natural, obvious thing to do.
Switch To Hemp Cloth Bags Today
We are already decades late in realizing that plastic is killing our planet.
Let’s not wait anymore.
Grab your hemp cloth bag from the Hemp Foundation store (or anywhere else if you please!).
So, the next time you head out to the store and the cashier asks you if you’d like a carry bag, say a confident no. Put forward your solid and sturdy hemp cloth bag, fit in all that you bought, and walk away in style.
Let the world know that you have joined the march towards reducing and putting an end to single-use plastic pollution.
Take the first step today.
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Sources:
- https://blogs.umass.edu/natsci397a-eross/replacement-of-plastic-bags-with-reusable-hemp-bags/
- http://ecofriendlylifestyles.com/plastic-pollution/
- https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-hemp/
- https://www.sustainme.in/blogs/news/why-are-cloth-bags-better-than-plastic
- https://www.saifood.ca/single-use-plastics-hemp/
- https://hempgogreen.com/are-hemp-bags-eco-friendly/
- https://findanyanswer.com/are-hemp-bags-good-for-the-environment
- https://www.ecomena.org/reusable-fabric-shopping-bags/
- https://www.bulletinbag.com/blog/faqs/reusable-bag-materials-comparison-guide/
- https://issuu.com/bagmayauk/docs/why_hemp_bags_are_more_reasonable_and_sustainable_
- https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/
- https://www.earthday.org/fact-sheet-how-much-disposable-plastic-we-use/
