Do You Understand the Effect of Plastic Bags on Sea Creatures?

Cotton bags are tough, durable, and can be printed with numerous designs to suit a variety of tastes, but one of their most important benefits is undoubtedly helping to reduce the usage of plastic bags, and the incredibly harmful effect which they can have on the planet. Unlike cotton bags, plastic bags cannot be recycled and take up to 1000 years to break down, so they often find their way into the environment, to the particular detriment of marine species.

In fact, plastic pollution causes the death of over 100,000 marine creatures each year. This often occurs when animals mistake a plastic bag for prey such as jellyfish, and end up ingesting it. Since the bag cannot be broken down or passed through the animal’s system, it simply stays within the gut, preventing digestion and often leading to a slow and painful demise.

This is especially common among turtles, but also effects a number of other creatures. For example, one whale stranded on Cairns beach in Australia was found to have 6 square meters of plastic lodged in its stomach, much of it made up of plastic shopping bags.

Since these animals commonly die and decay at sea, those bags are usually released into the ocean once again, and could remain there for 1000 years if they don’t happen to wash ashore. Even when not ingested, plastic bags can cause numerous creatures to become entangled, usually leading to either injury or death.

Information like this only underlines the importance of using reusable and recyclable bags. We understand that it is easy to pick up a plastic bag when you reach the checkout, or cheaper to stock them instead of using bags made of a superior, sustainable material. However, when you take the tragic consequences which can occur from just one simple bag, it quickly becomes obvious that there’s never an excuse for using plastic.

Instead, make sure you use an environmentally friendly product, such as our cotton bags. Providing these for your customers demonstrates your status as a forward-thinking organisation, in addition to providing them with a premium product. Our cotton bags are ethically sourced, reusable, and totally biodegradable, so you‰Ûªll never need to worry about their effect on the world’s wildlife.