Reusable bags: polypropylene or canvas?

July 7th, 2009

Photo: Jennifer Grayson

After the post last month about reusable dry cleaning bags, which featured two different versions — one constructed from polypropylene (The Green Garmento) and one made from cotton canvas (the Clothesnik) — I received an email from the founder of Reuseniks, the company that’s been making the Clothesnik for the past 19 years:

I would like you to know that we are the original reusable dry cleaning bag [company]. I started this company 20 years ago when there was only red, white, and blue! Not only that, but generating a second use of polypropylene is just as destructive as a primary use. I am forwarding an article to you about polypropylene. It is bad stuff…

Article: Grocery Carry Bag Sanitation

Now, I personally prefer canvas to polypropylene when it comes to any type of reusable bag — shopping tote or reusable dry cleaning — because I think it lasts longer, but I don’t think the choice between the two is black and white when it comes to protecting the environment.

The link above is a study that was funded by the Environment and Plastics Industry Council — a corporate lobby group for the plastic manufacturing industry, and as such, its interest is to discourage people from using reusable bags of any kind. I read the entire report, and while it focused on the health hazards of plastic-based reusable shopping bags, similar studies have been published that implicate canvas bags as well. Any bag will harbor bacteria and mold if it is not regularly washed. Polypropylene bags can be easily wiped down with a damp cloth and a little cleaning spray or white vinegar solution.

As for recycled polypropylene, it’s a gray issue. Since it’s made from plastic trash that would otherwise have been designated for a landfill, many argue that putting it to good (re)use is a better option than taking up dwindling landfill space, where these products would take thousands of years to degrade — especially if it means avoiding additional single-use plastic bags from making their way to the trash. (If you’ve never seen Preserve’s products before, I think they’re pretty neat; the company manufactures razors, toothbrushes, and kitchen products exclusively from No. 5 plastics.)

And while cotton certainly has that eco-friendly look and feel, cotton that is not organically grown has a tremendous impact on the environment. The crop accounts for 16 percent of chemical pesticide use worldwide, which pollutes the food chain and our waterways, in addition to harming human health and wildlife.

What do you think? Does polypropylene deserve a place in the green household? Which type of bag do you prefer?

–Jennifer Grayson

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