Reduce: Plastic Bag Alternatives

It’s been about 2 years now that Derrick and I’ve been using cloth bags for groceries and if it weren’t for them, our closet would be exploding. Our Save-On cloth bag was the best until I spilled raw meat juices inside… it was well built for lugging groceries over long distances. But now that it’s ruined, I am on the search for a new replacement. Perhaps, these reusable bags by Claesson Koivisto Rune are potentials…

As a stationery fiend, I want bold colours and great patterns. So when I saw these online, I had to share it.

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To be honest, I really need something functional, so I question whether these are sturdy enough for 2L cartons of milk and $20 worth of meat from Costco. According to Claesson Koivisto Rune, they are.

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Claesson Koivisto Rune is an architecture and design agency based in Stockholm. What you see here is their “Stockholm City Mission Bag” – made from clothing and fabric donated to the Stockholm City Mission, ones which are unsuitable for selling.

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According to their site, paper bags are not an eco-friendly solution to the plastic bag. Although they may be recyclable, or produced from recycle materials, “It’s higher weight alone leads to seven times the fuel consumption (of petrochemicals) in transport compared to the plastic bag.”

For us Canadians, if you think about Loblaws and the Real Canadian Superstore – these retailers were actually quite forward thinking about plastic bags and their waste. Charging consumers for 10 cents a bag to encourage them to reuse bags should have been something all retailers did 10 years ago.

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I don’t know if I love these bags more because of how they look in these off-kilter, slightly awkward looking photos. Love the art direction, but they really do stand out on their own. I think I do want to get one, roll it up and keep one in my purse at all times. It’s amazing to see the kinds of cool patterns they’ve found amongst all the donated fabrics and clothes. If I had a sewing machine, maybe I would think twice about the clothes I donate.

> Christine

{ images from Claesson Koivisto Rune }