Stelrad Logo
Which carrier bag?
We were asked to conduct a literature review of previous studies into the environmental impacts of carrier bags in order to identify which, were environmentally preferable to single use plastic bags
placeholder
Greener upon Thames, a community-driven campaign to reduce plastic bag use, were seeking the London 2012 Olympic Board to commit to a ban on single use plastic carrier bags at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
They were concerned at the growing environmental damage caused by single use plastic bags and believe a plastic-bag-free London 2012 would be practical to implement and would act as a powerful symbol to the world that London 2012 is the most sustainable Olympics and Paralympics to date.
We were asked to conduct a literature review of previous studies into the environmental impacts of carrier bags in order to identify which, were environmentally preferable to single use plastic bags.
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) studies on carrier bags were identified and reviewed and the robustness of each study was rated by our Valpak Consulting service using a set of developed quality indicators.
Studies concurred that if used four times, LDPE reusable bags outperform HDPE single use bags. Of the single use bags, HDPE offered better environmental performance compared to paper bags and several bioplastics bags in most impact categories.
- Provided an independent LCA assessment
- Identified robust carrier bag LCAs
- Summarised these studies to make the results clear
- Identified in what circumstances single use plastic bags are not environmentally beneficial
- Identified alternative carrier bag formats that offer improved environmental credentials