Who invented the shopping bag?

Walter H. Deubner, a grocer in St. Paul, Minnesota, observed that his customers’ purchases were limited by what they could conveniently carry. So he set about devising a way to help them buy more at one time. It took him four years to develop the right solution: a prefabricated package, inexpensive, easy to use-and strong enough to carry up to seventy-five pounds worth of groceries. The package consisted of a paper bag with cord running through it for strength. Deubner named his new product after himself, calling it the "Deubner Shopping Bag," and sold it for five cents. Deubner patented his product and within three years, by 1915, was selling over a million shopping bags a year. His invention, wonderful as it was, has since led to an ecological crisis. See www.badlani.com/blog/ To make paper shopping bags you need to cut down trees. A tree takes years to grow and you use a paper bag just once and throw it away. That is why most sensitive and aware people are saying no to paper shopping bags. Plastic is even worse. Plastic is a material that has a life of hundreds of years. It makes sense to use it for making canal linings or boats or roofs that need to withstand atmospheric degradation for long periods of time. It doesn’t make any sense to use it for shopping bags – something you will use once and throw away. But you can’t shop without shopping bags. It’s a good idea to use cotton shopping bags instead. They are re-usable, can be washed, and are completely environmentally benign. Or you could consider a jute shopping bag. Stylish texture and a long life. Cotton washes better. In fact, any fabric shopping bag is a good idea. Even if you use a man made fiber like nylon or polyester or polypropylene, which are not biodegradable like cotton and jute are, the fact that you re-use them makes them far kinder to the environment than plastic shopping bags are. Aren’t fabric bags more expensive? Yes, in the beginning they do appear to be. But just a wee bit. The fact that they get re-used soon makes them cheaper than any plastic bag. I make fabric bags in India. Look at my website www.badlani.com On my product pages, you'll be pleased to see how economical these great looking fabric bags can be. From the shop owner’s point of view they are much, much cheaper, because they display his name and logo every time they get re-used and become a walking billboard for him. The initial low price of a shopping bag hides another fact. That the eventual disposal of the plastic shopping bags you throw away is something that is costing you more and more in terms of taxes every year. So, here's my appeal to you as a fellow inhabitant of Earth. PLEASE switch to fabric shopping bags from today. Have a contrary point of view? Would you like to discuss this? Mail me at rajiv at badlani.com. I love a good discussion. A good argument is even more fun.

Plastic bags don't just fade away

In this story from the Capital Times in Wisconsin serious doubt is cast on the recyling programs that appear to be addressing the plastic bags problem. Here's what the story says: What happens to all those plastic bags that Copps invites us to bring in for recycling? A conscientious friend of mine asked at the service desk of one of the stores and was told they didn't know. She later asked at the municipal recycling center and was told the center doesn't handle bags and that they were probably just thrown out. So what's the story? When we take in those plastic bags are we doing good or just feeling good? • According to the Film and Bag Federation, a business unit of the Society of the Plastics Industry, by 1992 nearly half of U.S. supermarkets had recycling for plastic bags (kind of like being half in the bag). The city of Madison's Web site lists Kohl's Department Stores at East Towne and West Towne and Copps on Whitney Way and Shopko Drive as collection points. The city of Middleton says "please no plastic bags" in its curbside recycling brochure. Neither Kohl's nor Copps responded to inquiries by snail mail and e-mail about what they do with bags people may bring in. So maybe it is just a feel-good thing. Madison recycling coordinator George Dreckmann says the municipal recycling center doesn't handle bags. He suggested checking with GAR Plastics in Madison. That company also didn't respond to an e-mail query. The best advice is to use and reuse cloth or bags. You can wash and rewash them, too." I couldn't agree more. So much more elegant than leaving behind stuff that our grandkids will curse us for. We surely don't want to piss these guys off do we? Plastic bags may look cheaper to start with but extract a huge eventual price. Cloth bags are more affordable than most people think. Just see how affordable at www.badlani.com/bags/

Brand USA surprises and disappoints

More than the fact that it is the richest and most powerful country in the world, the USA has been the dream destination of the world because of its great values and the fact that it brings out the best from the people of diverse backgrounds that have gathered there to make it their home. Not surprising that with the best and the brightest it has become what it is today. Folks who are failures at home blossom and succeed in America because of its systems. They fail at home because their paternalistic governmental systems pull them down; they succeed in the US because its systems encourage questioning, individualism and success. I suspect that’s what Brand America stands for. Sometimes of course there are aberrations. The Gulf war and the prison abuse look like serious departures from its basic brand values, and similarly its reluctance to acknowledge the harm that plastic bags are doing to the world’s environment. One trillion plastic bags get thrown away every year, most of them in the US. About 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide. On this front, others lead the world. Ireland was the first to introduce a tax on plastic bags. Usage dropped 90% the first year. Now Scotland is doing it, while South Africa and Taiwan and Bangladesh have already done so. Australia has taken the voluntary route and a very large number of retailers have signed agreements with the government to reduce usage. While claims vary between a reduction of 7% and 50%, some communities have gone completely plastic bag free (read some of the other blogs here). But the US hasn’t yet caught on. A recent story from an Indiana daily showed that while the statistical awareness exists, it hasn’t translated into knowledge or realization yet. Perhaps you’ll also want to read this http://badlani.com/bags/branding.htm

Re-usable shopping bags do make a difference!

Even as Planet Ark says 7% against the Australian environment minister Ian Campbell’s claim of 29%, the fact remains that Australia’s plastic bag usage has gone down substantially from the 6.9 billion plastic bags they used last year. Senator Campbell said the ARA's figures amounted to a reduction of more than half a billion bags. "If we maintain this effort we could slash plastics bags by over one billion by the end of the year," he said. It seems (says the Herald Sun) that the non-supermarket retailers haven’t kept pace with the big boys in this reduction effort. Now this could be because the average mom and pop store doesn’t have access to re-usable bags at the same low prices that supermarkets can get them for. Hello, Australian entrepreneurs. There’s all us bag manufacturers just waiting for someone to take advantage of that situation. See the collossal range we offer at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ . Talk to us today rajiv@badlani.com This is also an invitation to thinking entrepreneurs in other parts of the world to discuss their markets’ needs. Imagine making money while saving the world. I can’t think of a nicer business to be in. Can you?

What an absolutely delightful site

The Australian government needs to be congratulated for their work as seen at http://www.warringah.nsw.gov.au/calico_bag_challenge.htm . I wish our Indian government had such caring people. We make a large number of calico bags and will be happy to associate with anyone around the world willing to work to encourage their use and reduce the number of plastic bags that are fouling up our earth. See the range at http://www.badlani.com/bags/ . Currently playing: Basin Street Blues by some unknown guy who blows a mean sax... delightful!

Biodegradable plastic bags claim turns out to be a hoax

Isn't it kind of stupid, fellow citizens of earth, to take a strong material that lasts forever and waste it on an application where it is used once and then harms you forever, instead of using something that you can use again and again and which doesn't harm but enriches your soil even when its utility is through? The sensible solution is at my website. The dumb one is discussed below in a story called "Degradable bags can last years" By Melissa Fyfe - The Age, Australia Misleading and extravagant claims were being made about "degradable" plastic bags and their use could be harming the environment, an expert warns. The bags, which contain a chemical that eventually breaks down the plastic, are widely available at independent supermarkets such as Ritchies, and the plastic is also used to make some garbage and courier bags. They have become a popular alternative with some retailers, amid Government efforts to tackle Australia's 6.9-billion-a-year plastic bag problem. Professor Greg Lonergan, an Australian expert on the biodegradability of plastic, told The Age he had tested many of the bags and found the manufacturers' claims to be extravagant. "Generally, our experience (at the Swinburne University of Technology) testing degradable bags has been very poor," he said. "At this stage, if a bag says it is degradable I would treat that as meaningless - I would treat it as a normal bag. "The public have a perception that bags with the word 'degradable' means they will disappear quite quickly and that's not the case," he said. Professor Lonergan said that "degradable" was misleading, because everything eventually degrades, even if it takes hundreds or thousands of years, which may be the case with plastic. The question, he said, was how long it took to degrade. Tests at Swinburne showed the bags could last more than five years. Canadian company EPI, the major supplier of degradable plastic in Australia, said a bag will not start to break down for 18 to 24 months. After that, it depended on how much it was exposed to sunlight and stress. EPI chief executive Joseph Gho said the company had not done thorough tests under Australian conditions, but it was thought the bags would break down after three or four months if under direct Queensland sun. We've taken 10 to 12 years developing this technology and we've employed some world-class scientists to work with us, in the areas of degradability and biodegradability," said Mr Gho. There are other problems with this type of plastic. An expert report to the federal Environment Department last year found these types of "oxo-biodegradable" bags break down into smaller pieces of plastic that "might make them more attractive to smaller animals such as sea turtle hatchlings". The report The impacts of degradable plastic bags in Australia, also said the bags can contaminate the kerbside recycling of plastics, as the active chemical works to weaken and destabilise plastic. Professor Lonergan's comments come after the Federal Court last month found misleading claims were made about Earthstrength bags, widely available in supermarkets. Distributor Lloyd Brooks was ordered to stop supplying the bags, which it claimed would biodegrade in 28 days, and later admitted they could take years to biodegrade.

What are we doing to our world?

I just read an article Rob Crilly and Emma Newlands wrote for The Herald in Scotland about a whale that was washed up on the Hebridean coast. Its stomach was filled with plastic bags. More evidence that plastic bags are playing havoc with life as we know and love it. A recent survey found scraps of plastic inside 96% of seabirds tested. Marine creatures mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish or squid. Dr Dan Barlow, head of research at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "It's quite clear that plastic bags are a pollutant in their own right, and not only do they use a lot of resources in their production, but also because of the way they're disposed of. "The fact that a lot of marine life is being affected by plastic bags shows that we really need to levy some sort of plastic bag tax if we are to save resources and help the environment. The sooner this happens in Scotland the better." A plastic bag tax of about 15p introduced in Ireland in 2002 has cut their use by 90% and reduced litter. Research revealed at the weekend also suggested that many seabirds were being turned into living dustbins. The study by Dutch scientists of fulmars, gull-like seabirds which nest around Britain's coast, showed that 367 of 382 birds studied had ingested plastic waste. About a million birds and 100,000 mammals and turtles are estimated to become entangled in marine rubbish around the world each year. Surface-feeding species of bird, such as albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels and gulls, are the most susceptible to eating debris. An autopsy on a Minke whale in France in April 2002 found just under 1lb of plastics in its stomach, including two English supermarket plastic bags. A leatherback turtle washed ashore in Scotland in the 1990s showed that it appeared to have died from starvation caused by plastic and metal litter blocking its digestive tract. What makes this most tragic is how easily avoidable this is. All we need to do is to carry cloth bags with us when we go shopping (leave a few in the car, have a depository at all our local shops, there are many solutions). Most humans have no concept of the scale of this problem. Now that you’ve read this, I hope you will stop using plastic bags from this moment. If you’d like to take a little initiative to encourage your friends to also do so, write to me, I have a method to suggest.

Would you have a bag manufacturer make a tent for you?

Winning a customer’s trust is what makes it happen for us. Clearly, the folks who run the Bahrain Exhibition Center were happy with the bags we’ve been doing for them so when they had a need for a colossal “tent” for a major event, they chose to discuss it with us. From fabric selection to fireproofing to fabrication, we enjoyed the challenge of dealing something totally new for us. Finding ways to communicate all the zillions of variables with our customers was also an exercise that gave us learning and joy. We had a few anxious moments, but Sanjiv manages to make the most challenging manufacturing issues look simple and do-able. But the real joy came when they told us they were thrilled with the result and sent us a link to their event website www.asiaitsummit2005.com. Thank you Cheryl and Klaus from all of us at Norquest. Thank you for your confidence in our abilities. Got a challenge for us, anyone? We will enjoy working with you.

Why would people to PAY YOU to carry YOUR advertisement?

This isn’t some ad man’s wild pipe dream. In a world of skyrocketing media costs, here’s an amazing true story. I read this at http://www.poconorecord.com/lifestyl/alh97889.htm Columnist Martin Sloane contributed a story encouraging people to switch to reusable cloth bags, and here is reader Louise Fail wrote in: Dear Martin: At our local 99-cent store they sell a lovely, large reusable tote bag. Of course it carries some advertising, but I really do not mind! I bought four of them. One is for trips to the library. The other three reside in my car so I have them when I go to the grocery stores. I feel I am doing my share to preserve the environment and conserve the oil that is used to make plastic bags. Louise Fail Folks don’t much care to hear alarmist talk about environmental degradation, but the story is inexorably going home. They don’t like being passive victims of this sweeping phenomenon either. Most want to do something positive. You could cash in on this huge groundswell of feeling to get your message across in a manner that your stakeholders are actually willing to invest in. The big boys haven’t caught on to this yet. This remains an opportunity for the nimble and the imaginative. Dramatic isn’t it? Louise paid 99 cents to become a walking billboard for the brand whose name is on that bag. She doesn’t mind that it carries advertising. Ever heard of such a thing? All you smart marketing folks out there might want to leverage this insight. We can ship you smart, great looking cotton totes at less than a dollar a bag, with your ad message on them. Sell them at cost or even a little below cost to make them look even more attractive. Make them available at as many outlets as you can. You’ll be amazed to see how many people support your environmentally friendly action. Sounds good? See http://www.badlani.com/bags and select from a line of attractive bags you can use to co-opt your customers into becoming walking billboards for your message. At no cost to you!

Plastic bags should carry a mandatory warning

Most North Americans urinate plastics. Sperm counts are at a historic per capita low. Cancer is an epidemic. Shouldn’t plastic bags be made to carry this mandatory warning? There are no safe plastics; all plastics migrate toxins into whatever they contact at all times. Tax the bags, say Californians Against Waste. And I completely agree. It works. Ireland taxed 'em just 12 cents and usage fell 90% in one year. How's that for effective? There is a proposal to tax grocery shoppers of San Francisco 17 cents per bag. Why 17 cents? Because that’s the cost citizens of San Francisco are already paying in general taxes for some of the costs of plastic-bag trash, such as cleaning up the litter and unclogging the waste system. Northern Californians Against Plastic presented figures to show that if each of the 347,000+ households in San Francisco were to purchase a couple of cotton or canvas bags, over the approximate 10-year life of those bags the total amount saved -- compared to everyone using eight bags each week at 17 cents each -- by consumers would collectively be over $300 million. And, the bag fee would mean revenue to fund programs for the poor such as free reusable natural-fiber bags. The Chronicle and the Commission on Environment (the San Francisco body putting the bag fee proposal to the Supervisors for an ordinance) have this new information. You know what? Reusable cloth bags are the only sustainable answer. And they aren't as expensive as you thought. We, at Norquest can make lovely cloth bags available to shoppers at just 99 cents a bag (that’s just the tax they’d pay on 4 bags!). Just look at the reusable cloth bags we have on offer at www.badlani.com/bags/ - see how nice they look and then see how little they cost.

Sad saga of a plastic bag. A good read.

I've just copied this story from globeandmail.com. I think it makes a great read! Imagine this happening all over as it is bound to if we don't find a way to stop people from using plastic bags. Reusable bags are so much more logical and so affordable at you can see at www.badlani.com A sad saga of a plastic bag We're told to be careful what we wish for and I believe this to be sage advice. By ELAINE OPHUS Tuesday, April 5, 2005 Page A20 While driving to work recently, I was struck by the sight of a plastic grocery bag being blown down the street by the wind, rolling along in a swirl of dust like some kind of modern-day urban tumbleweed. Suddenly I was back in Edmonton, and it was winter, 1994. Of the 18 winters I spent in Alberta, this was the coldest, the longest, the dreariest. Even the platitudes that usually brought comfort weren't working. ("It's a dry cold." "It's a sunny cold." Ha.) As December dragged into January, then February, the prospect of spring seemed to be receding rather than approaching. Our house backed onto a busy four-lane thoroughfare. The level of the backyard was somewhat higher than the avenue itself, and a tall privacy fence screened the yard from the traffic noise. Outside the fence was a sparse row of trees growing on a flat, grassy berm, which then sloped sharply to the street. These trees were so slender as to be spindly, and so tall that only their topmost branches were visible from the backyard. The view from the top floor took in the yard, the street and the upper half of the spindly trees. One morning, around what seemed like the 53rd of February, I glanced out the bedroom window while getting ready for work. Something fluttered in the breeze near the top of one of the trees on the berm. It took me a minute to realize it was a plastic grocery bag, complete with red Safeway logo, clinging to a leafless branch by one handle. The way it was flapping about I was sure it would disentangle itself and blow away. Off to work I went, without giving it another thought. The next morning I looked out the window again. Now the bag had secured itself by both handles to the branch (only a twig, really) which became a flagpole (bag pole?) as the bag billowed and fluttered with every passing breeze. As the days passed, it showed no signs of loosening its grip on the tree, although the wind was at times quite strong. By the time March departed in its usual lion-like fashion, I was sick of snow-covered ground. Tired of landscape with no colours except brown and grey and white. (Well, there was the red 'S' on the bag, which I did my best to pretend was a yin. Or maybe a yang.) Most of all, I was tired of the sight of the bag, which in my mind had grown somehow to become a smirking, gloating, animate object. No, worse: it loomed like a symbol of the triumph of rampant consumerism over nature. It taunted me, it stuck out its imaginary red tongue at me. If the window hadn't frozen shut I might even have leaned out and shrieked at it. Now, at this point you might be inclined to dismiss me as a flake, a bleeding-heart liberal tree-hugger. So be it. But my theory is that I was suffering from an accumulation of winter misery. By this point in my life I had just had too many minus-30 degree days; too many hours spent bundling the kids into snowsuits only to have them play outside for mere minutes; had once too often lost my bedding plants to an early June frost. I couldn't bear the thought that soon the tentative, emerging leaves would be smothered by this plastic nuisance. On impulse, I walked down the street and around the fence and climbed up the berm, thinking that perhaps I could pull the flexible sapling branch down far enough to release the bag. Quickly I realized the futility of this: the tree was at least 20 feet tall, and much too flimsy to climb. I returned home, discouraged but not ready to give up yet. The next morning I phoned city hall. I was transferred three times, but each person I spoke to listened politely to my tale of woe, and I was eventually connected to the public works maintenance department. Making a conscious effort not to come across as some kind of kook, I explained why I was calling. The voice on the other end assured me that the next time they had a truck in that area they would look after it. I assumed they were just humoring me, but even having made the effort lifted my winter-weary spirits a little. When I got home that evening and went upstairs, I glanced out the window before closing the curtains. My jaw dropped; I did a double take. The bag was gone! Vamoosed! Took a powder! I was dumbfounded. There was no way it could suddenly have blown away. Not after nearly two months of being so securely fastened to the tree, through wind and blizzard and dark of night. We're told to be careful what we wish for and I believe this to be sage advice. You might think that trouncing my little synthetic friend would be deeply satisfying, but you would be wrong; by the next morning my euphoria had worn off. Humph, I thought to myself. No wonder our taxes are so bloody high, if they can afford to send out a truck every time some stupid piece of plastic gets caught in a tree. I think I'll phone city hall and complain about this extravagant misuse of expensive resources. I hope they at least recycled the bag. Elaine Ophus lives in Kelowna, B.C.

Forgive the plugs folks, they’re for a good cause!

Alex Steffan, who writes a brilliant blog at http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002465.html noticed my blog and wrote “I love obsessive geekery for a good cause, and I believe I have stumble upon the Ur-site, the Platonic example of the form: the Badlani blog which focuses, essentially entirely, on news about the ongoing global efforts to reduce our use of plastic bags. Yes, that's right: it's an anti-plastic bag blog. Pretty good one, too, full of interesting little tidbits like San Francisco's implementation of a 17-cents-a-bag bag tax (jargon watch for the day: tax on plastic bags = "plastax").” But he wasn’t entirely thrilled as he adds “(The only bummer with Badlani is the authors' relentless hawking of their own cotton bags. We get it, they sell bags. So do others, like Reusablebag.com's Vincent Cobb. No need to remind us every post.). I take his point. Repetitive and relentless promotion can become tedious, but I feel virtuous doing it because Higher listings = more vistors = more fabric bags sold = less plastic bags plaguing our world. So, folks, bear with the plugs if you will, and in fact, spread the word if you agree! But I did need reminding of that, so thanks, Alex! Please note the absence of a plug in this blog.

Psychostrategy for your next trade show

When you’re headed for your next trade show, consider reusable fabric bags as your giveaway. Visitors love receiving them because it facilitates carrying all the literature they collect. The fact that folks will carry them around the show displaying your logo and plugging your presence is only the immediate benefit. Much after the show is over, they will still be using them (no one throws them away) and literally become a walking billboard for you. But there’s more. People are becoming increasingly aware of the harm that plastic bags do and when your logo is seen on an eco-friendly substitute for plastic bags, your brand gets positioned in their mindspace as one of the “good guys”. This follows from a very basic logic. People don’t want to be bombarded with your marketing message. They prefer to unravel a subtle message themselves. If this contradicts what some marketing bozos have told you, check out the logic on yourself. When someone is telling you a joke and you can figure the punchline even before he completes his story, that joke doesn’t break you apart and, chances are you don’t remember that story. But when someone tells you a joke and it takes you a few seconds to figure out what was funny about it, when you start laughing, you can’t stop. And, you tend to remember that story, right? A marketing professor once explained this phenomenon to me. When you don’t immediately “get it” it challenges and engages your mind. That brief engagement is what makes some things memorable and others get forgotten fast. Get it? These quiet little bags are amazingly attractive and economical. You will not believe how affordable they are so come check them out on our website http://www.badlani.com/bags/

No such thing as a free plastic or paper bag

Karama Neil, a lovely lady from Little Rock, Arkansas, wrote a blog about the harm plastic bags are doing and mentioned my blog as being a good reference source. Thank you, Karama. It’s nice to be acknowledged, particularly by a person as accomplished as you. Karama's weblog is at http://sowhatcanido.blogspot.com/2005/04/say-no-to-plastic-grocery-bags.html. What a great concept “So what can I do?” I disagree about paper bags, though. Cutting down a tree that takes years to grow, lugging it to sawmills and then to paper mills that consume huge amounts of electricity and water to produce a paper bag which gets used once and thrown away is also wasteful. Using anything once and throwing it away is wasteful. Fabric bags get reused hundreds of times and make so much more sense. But plastic and paper are cheaper, some will say. They aren’t, actually. The shops that give these to you “free” are actually paying for them and charging you an invisible premium for them. Even if they cost as little as 4 cents, over 300 uses that is $ 12.00. Our fabric bags start as low as 60 cents, and they can be reused used more than 300 times. Do the math! Fabric bags are the real answer to saving our planet from the blight of plastic refuse. See how attractive and economical they are at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Don't waste! Australia shows the way

Australia’s Northern Daily just published an article about how local councils have contributed huge sums of money for calico bags to be distributed free to residents. The 13 participating councils are Armidale Dumaresq, Glen Innes, Gunnedah, Guyra, Gwydir, Inverell, Liverpool Plains, Moree, Narrabri, Tamworth, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha. Vanessa Tiernan, project co-ordinator for the Northern Inland Regional Waste Group, said yesterday each of the group's 13 constituent councils had contributed a collective $65,000 to buy 86,000 "Don't Waste" bags. They would all carry the same "Don't Waste" message, but there would be one difference from council area to council area. In Tamworth, the bags would carry the message "Don't Waste Tamworth", whereas in the other areas, the message would be "Don't Waste Glen Innes" or "Don't Waste Inverell". Sensible. Where plastic bags are usually used just once or a few times before being discarded, the calico bags are so durable they can be used for months and even years. Calico bags are attractive and economical as you can see at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Plastic bags are not free

Mary O'Keefe from Pompano Beach just wrote an article in the Sun-Sentinel in which she mentioned how she initially thought California’s proposed 17 cent tax on plastic bags was ridiculous and a burden on the consumer. But she quickly changed her mind. Here’s what she says “Then I went to my local grocery store and again came home with numerous plastic bags. Several bundles had two and three bags for one item that was not breakable nor particularly heavy,” “I have changed my position. The one dismissed value of this proposal was the awareness of what we waste. Even though our behavior -- not the plastic bags -- is the problem, it would inspire awareness and conservation. We apparently need constant reminders or reprimands. Other countries that have implemented such a program report great success” You’re so right, Mary. Plastic bag consumption fell 90% in Ireland after they imposed a tax on plastic bags. People who believe plastic bags are being given free just aren't aware of the facts. They cost you money, and more than you think. So, it’s not really a burden either. The consumer is already paying this 17 cent cost in the form of city and municipal taxes. The 17 cent figure was worked out based on how much it costs communities to cope with the mess plastic bags create. Add to this the fact that retailers who appear to give them away free are actually buying them and building the cost into the products they sell you. Most will be happy to offer you a discount if you bring your own bag. Reusable fabric bags are an attractive and surprisingly economical alternative and very, very practical. Most American have the impression that fabric bags are expensive. They aren’t. See how affordable they are at http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Papua New Guinea leads by example!

I’m sure the words Papua New Guinea don’t immediately bring a picture of progressive governance to your mind (probably conjures up exotic images of tribals and beaches) but don’t underestimate them - just look at this major step they’ve taken. The Papua New Guinea government has ordered a ban on plastic shopping bags in a bid to curb a major littering problem across the country. To give them credit, many Indian state governments have also banned plastic bags, but when you look around you, it appears that no one has heard of this ban. They’re being distributed like they’re going out of style and factories are churning them out by the millions. Sad. We also happen to be the world’s largest exporter of cotton and jute bags. These attractive and economical bags are saving the world from being choked by plastic but not being used here where the damage is as much. To see just how attractive and economical they can be see http://www.badlani.com/bags/

Paper and plastic don’t cut it. Reusable cloth bags are the only sensible choice.

The best choice isn't paper or plastic, says Wayne Parker in an article in the Pacific Business News. He says “When faced with the question of paper vs. plastic bags at the local supermarket, the correct choice, according to environmental officials, is neither of the above. The best environmental choice is to skip a bag altogether, or if one is necessary, shoppers should take their own reusable shopping bags”. You bet, Wayne! Plastic bags get used once and then continue to contaminate our planet for 3000 years. Paper bags cause trees to get cut down – also for just one use. Cloth bags make so much more sense. Each bag gets reused as many as 500 times. And every time they get reused, they are a potential walking billboard for some perceptive company that understands 360 degree branding and understands that consumers respect brands not for what they claim, but for the actions they take.In short your brand image isn’t determined what you say, but what you do. See these powerful branding devices and find out how easy and economical they are at www.badlani.com/bags/shoppingbags.htm

Looks like the world’s going to be in good hands!

A few months back our Australian associate Tom Rayner (www.tomrayner.com.au) forwarded me a mail he got from a 13 year old young lady who was going to be the Australian delegate to the International Children’s Conference on the Environment in Connecticut http://www.icc04.org She’s recognised how dangerous plastic bags are. To spread the message at the conference she wanted 100 cotton bags. We were more than happy to sponsor the bags, if she found someone else to pick up the tab for the shipping (costs a fair bit as we’re in India). I suggested she write to Fedex or UPS or an airline, and she went to work and got the Australian Postal Service to sponsor the shipping www.auspost.com.au Meanwhile, she got Tom at Rayner Associates to sponsor a website for her and her weblog http://www.aussiekidsturningthetide.com/sponsors.htm Great going, particularly when you consider that this is a 13 year old girl. She’s shown more enterprise and get up and go than most adults I know. We consider it a privilege to have been able to be involved with her effort and I am proud to know her. Lauren, with kids like you running the world tomorrow, I’m sure it will be a nicer place than it is today! If you have a cause and we can help in any way, visit us at http://www.badlani.com and tell me how.

Little guys need to brand too...

Branding is essential for the little guys, too says Michael Schwarz in USA TODAY. But when you read this, pay special attention to what he says in his last para. People eventually judge you by what you do, not by what you claim. If your behaviour contradicts what you've claimed all your advertising looks like one big lie. Perhaps a new marketing mantra ought to be "Make sure you don't have any Weapons of Mass Destruction type fantasies in your marketing story. The harder you hype, the harder you fall!" Anyway, on to Michael's very insightful points: Q: We hear so much about branding these days, but it really seems like a big business concept. Do you think branding is something that applies equally to small businesses? Hugh, Manitoba, Canada A: I most certainly do. First, let's be clear about the concept. Gene Simmons, lead man of the rock band Kiss once remarked that while he liked being in a rock and roll band, he loved being in a rock and roll brand. What did he mean by that? Think about Kiss for a moment. What images and feelings come to mind? Probably that distinctive Kiss logo, the white makeup, the outrageous shows, the wild stories. Kiss carefully cultivated that billion dollar bad boy image and it's worth a fortune to them. That is what Simmons meant; having a band is great, but it's the brand that pays the bills. What do you think of when you think about Rolls Royce, or Nike, or Apple Computer? Each business evokes very clear thoughts, feelings, and images. They all have a strong corporate identity, or brand, associated with their name, and it is no accident. These companies have spent a lot of money getting you to conjure up specific images and feelings when you think about their business. So the idea of creating a brand for your business is really quite important. While it might seem that creating a brand is beyond your reach, that branding is a concept for the "Big Boys," think again. Branding is something you can, and must, do too. Here's why: Boiled down to its basics, a brand is the essence of what makes your business unique. It combines your name, logo, and purpose into an identifiable whole. Are you the friendly lawyer, the holistic market, the geeky computer consultant, or what? Without a brand, you may find that instead of being all things to all people, you are nothing to no one. A brand is a hook to hang your hat on, so that people remember you, which is probably more important to a small business than anyone else. You begin to create a brand by carefully thinking about what your business is, what makes it unique, who your customers are, and what it is they want. Deciding upon a brand is vital because many other decisions will hinge on this one. Your name, logo, slogan, even the location you choose and your pricing structure depend on the brand you are trying to create. A discount motorcycle warehouse will put things together far differently than a Harley showroom. You want to create a consistent theme through your ads, pricing, logo, etc. which reinforces the image you intend to create. But branding goes even beyond that. Since your brand is based both on how you want to be perceived, and how you are in fact perceived, it follows that the other half of brand building is creating positive perceptions based on substance as well as style. How? 1. Discover what you do best and do it, again, and again, and again: A brand is a promise which essentially boils down to: 'If you buy from us, and you know what you will be getting' e.g., Volvos® are safe or Atkins® helps you lose weight. The key is consistency. 2. Offer superior customer service: All your hard work creating that cool brand will be a waste of time and money if it isn't reinforced by happy customers. Customers should find it easy to work with you or buy from you. 3. Be a mench: Mench is a Yiddish word that basically means "a good person." If your business practices mench ethics, your brand grows. While good looks may get you a date, being a mench will get you a mate. Pay invoices on time. Do more than asked of you. Do things when not asked. Help out in the community. That also builds your brand. Remember, the two keys to establishing a strong brand are developing a specific identity, and then communicating that identity consistently. Do that, and your small business will have a hook that is memorable. Today's tip: Warning! You cannot get by on brand alone. That is the lesson of the dotcom fallout. Take Pets.com for example. That high-flying startup burned through multiples of millions of dollars, mostly because it focused far more on branding than it did on business. Its once-famous sock puppet was interviewed by People magazine and was on Good Morning America, but the company soon learned that creating an identifiable brand is not the same as creating a valuable business. Read more on branding for small business at http://badlani.com/consulting/branding.htm and at http://badlani.com/bags/branding.htm