Andy Stevenson, director for Crazy:Bags comments;
“Many misconceptions surround the issue of green and ethical products. For example, few people realise that whilst ‘green’ alternatives may not end up in the sea or littering our towns and countryside, it is not necessarily right to automatically assume that a reusable bag is more ethical and environmentally sound.
“Plastic bags use less energy during manufacture than some of the ‘greener’ options. Advances have also meant that additives can be used during the manufacturing process at virtually no extra cost that will ensure the bag is 100% biodegradable, leaving nothing behind.
“There are also great differences between recycled products and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) alternatives. A global standard that ensures genuine good practice in forest management and sustainability, FSC products are produced responsibly with full traceability from tree to end product.
“Recycled products are no less important, but they can often incur higher energy and environmental costs than their FSC counterparts. So it is important that when it comes to choosing environmentally sound or ethical products, that people know the questions to ask and what to look out for.
“A promotional bag may say it’s green, but just how eco-friendly is it when you factor in how the materials have been produced, where they’ve come from and how they got to you? Where has the product been sourced, can it be traced and are there ways of checking the ethical standards of the factory, its working environment and working standards for example.
“It is these questions that our clients need to ask and it is our responsibility to encourage them to do so, answering them fully and legitimately, helping them to make informed choices.
“To put this into context; at Crazy:Bags we handpick SEDEX and Fairtrade accredited factories. This means we know the conditions the bags have been produced in. We know for example, that all employees have access to union representation, with strict working hours, mandatory breaks and monitored, healthy working environments.
“The secure ethical data exchange that SEDEX membership provides allows us to investigate the supply chain as a whole, from the cotton grower to the manufacturer. It gives us full traceability, enabling us to make confident, ethical buying choices.
“This knowledge is not only important to ensure we meet our own ethical standards, but because we can provide our clients with a guarantee that their products have been ethically produced as well as being environmentally sound.
“There is a great deal of choice and varying levels of environmental credentials. All are valid and all are strong, ethical choices. The point is that we need to help our clients understand these differences and all the options available so that they can buy with confidence, choosing products that fit with their brand message and CSR as well as fulfilling their ultimate role.”
For further information on the UK’s leading importers and stockists of unbranded promotional, paper carrier & eco-bags, please call on 01892 752 154 or visit us at www.crazybags.co.uk.
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