Why You Should Consider Environmentally Friendly Mailing Bags
Mailing bags are forever receiving bad press surrounding the materials they are made from
. Polythene is seen as harmful to the environment and a major waste especially when we have other greener materials to use and it is for this reason that people may well be disappointed to see a mailing bag arrive on their doorstep. We are constantly reminded in supermarkets and shops to reuse our bags so it is no surprise that a polythene mailing bag could receive a frosty reception.
The main environmental issue with regards to polythene is the recyclability of the product as unless it is exposed to UV from sunlight it can take several centuries before it is efficiently degraded. The majority of our household waste goes into landfill sites where the polythene is undoubtedly not going to be subject to UV rays. However looking at the start of a mailing bag's life ,at the production stage, only half the energy is used to produce a polythene bag in comparison with a paper one due to the nature of the material. This is because polythene is much stronger than paper meaning that a smaller amount has to be processed to make a bag which can hold a certain amount of weight. So if the material was biodegradable then surely this would make them the perfect product to use for posting out parcels and packages.
Luckily there are a wide variety of environmentally friendly products to choose from. First of all it is well worth considering mailing bags which have been produced from recycled polythene, this immediately means that you are reducing the amount of extra polythene being thrown into landfills. By using recycled materials 1.8 tonnes of oil are saved for every tonne of recycled polythene products reduced, the sulphur dioxide emissions are reduced by two thirds and nitrous oxide by half, there is almost a 90 per cent reduction in the water usage and 1.4 tonnes less carbon dioxide entering into the atmosphere.
Other than opting for a company who use recycled materials to produce their mailing bags you can also choose to have bags which are photo-degradable, bio-degradable and oxo-degradable which improve the environmental performance of your business.
The subject of mailing bags can be a moral environmental dilemma for a business which regularly sends out mailers to their clients and customers they need to send them out in something to protect the package but doing this in an environmentally friendly manner can seem difficult. However if you choose mailing bags made from recycled materials and an oxo-degradable product in case your customers arent as environmentally minded as you are you should remain comfortable with your decision.