Treading lightly on
mother earth CSIR report confirms plastic carrier bags have smallest environmental footprint
I
t has now been scientifically shown that reusable plastic shopping bags are the kindest to our precious environment. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s premier scientific research and development organisation, recently released findings confirming that reusable, plastic shopping bags have the lowest environmental footprint compared to carrier bags made from alternative materials. The study – a life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of grocery carrier bags in South Africa – was funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and aimed to identify which bag is “best” in the South African context. An LCSA is a useful research tool that unpacks the environmental, social and economic impacts of a product throughout its life cycle. This particular study assessed 16 different types of carrier bags, including the standard single-
use, 24 micron HDPE bags as well as a number of reusable and biodegradable alternatives. Some 21 environmental and socio-economic indicators were used to assess the life cycle of each bag, including water use, land use, global warming, the impacts of pollution, impact on employment and affordability for consumers. The study’s findings have been welcomed by the South African plastics industry. “What is particularly encouraging is that the CSIR study assessed a broad range of environmental and socioeconomic indicators that are unique to our South African context,” says Anton Hanekom, Executive Director of Plastics SA. “It has confirmed that our locally produced plastic bags (ranging from 24 microns right up to 70 microns) are ideally suited to be reused – and therefore, we believe, should not be considered single-use plastics at all.
