Climate change, the environment, global warming has been a hot topic lately (and rightfully so). Although some people may feel that there is too much hype surrounding the issue, the fact of the matter is that it’s not going to go away… but I digress. The reason for today’s post is because last week, when I went out for lunch I came back to the office with a plastic bag that said “environmental bag – this plastic bag is 100% biodegradable”. I was curious to find out what this meant, and as I discovered, it’s surprisingly difficult to find a definition for a biodegradable plastic bag – a definition that I was satisfied with, at least. With a bit of searching, I found out that regular plastic bags don’t ‘biodegrade’ they ‘photodegrade’ meaning that they break down into smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways (it’s estimated that plastic bags take 1,000 years to breakdown) while biodegradable bags degrade into basic properties like carbon dioxide and water (a biodegradable plastic bag takes around 18 months to dissolve). So I’m wondering, is a 100% biodegradable bag supposed to make me feel better about using it? I would like to point out, however, that biodegradable bags and regular plastic bags need to be recycled in different ways, and when the two are mixed together at a recycling plant, it makes that entire batch of plastic bags unrecyclable, since sorting out biodegradable plastic bags from normal plastic bags just isn’t feasible at that stage of the process.

The whole plastic bag issue really does seem to be taking root, and governments and businesses are taking notice and making changes. Several retailers that I shop at regularly have stopped using plastic bags, and instead are using a reusable bag. Often times, they’re even quite stylish! Lululemon has their cool, ‘motivational phrase ridden’ reusable shopping bag that I would use as a real bag any day (and I’ve seen a lot of girls using the lululemon shopping bag as their purse at the mall – I kid you not, they’re even being sold on eBay). I noticed that Jacob, has also started producing a similar type bag, as well as Steve Madden. President’s Choice has a dedicated marketing campaign to their green initiatives and even have a name for their shopping bag – the “PC GREEN, Canada’s Greenest Shopping Bag” bag.

Whether it’s well intentioned or not, I’m not one to judge – every little bit counts. Businesses are realizing that the environment is becoming an increasing concern to consumers and transparency is key for businesses to gain credibility and trust; especially since consumers have the tools to find out whether businesses are being true to their word. But companies can put up websites, and develop cool marketing campaigns ‘till the cows come home – the bottom line – actions speak louder than words. Especially if the action results in something tangible, like a cool, stylish, reusable bag every time you head out to the mall. With the Christmas shopping season around the corner (or upon us already, I’m always a last minute, Christmas Eve type of shopper), can you even begin to imagine how many plastic bags will end up in the garbage?

An honourable mention: I was looking through a pile of flyers on my kitchen table this weekend, and a TELUS one caught my eye. They are offering a FREE – yes, you read right, FREE TELUS bag (no purchase necessary!) – that is definitely reusable and perfect for grocery shopping or a lunch bag for work. And it has pretty TELUS critters on it. I was sporting it on my train ride this morning.