Self-check-out lanes, mobile apps, home delivery it seems every aspect of grocery shopping has become more modern and convenient. Just look at the evolution of the grocery bag. From the brown paper bag to the widespread adoption and subsequent backlash of single-use plastic, the history of grocery bags continues today with an innovative zero-waste solution that doesn't skimp on convenience, style or performance.
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Keep reading to learn more about the history of bags and discover the latest grocery bag design, PackIt's Freezable Grocery Tote.
With mentions throughout the documented history of all civilizations, it's impossible to know who invented bags.
However, the invention of burlap bags can be traced to India, where fibers from the native jute plant were woven together to create burlap fabric. And until the mid-19th century, this is how bags were made by hand, using natural materials.
Mass-produced paper bags were invented in , with one major drawback they didn't have bottoms. At this point, you're probably wondering: Is a bag without a bottoma bag?
"Large, not terribly useful paper envelopes" more accurately describes the output of this new machine, but no matter it was a 19th-century disruption. A machine-made, disposable carrier unlike anything seen before? It's no surprise their inventor was able to call them whatever he liked.
Margaret Knight, a worker at a paper bag company, invented a mechanism to automate the process of making paper bags with a flat, square bottom, which revolutionized the industry and made square-bottom paper bags the norm. Despite the eventual dominance of plastic bags in the market, the design of the functional grocery bag has remained popular over time, with modern paper bags still using updates of Knight's patented machine, and new bags made from modern materials still maintaining the classic square-bottom shape.
For instance, PackIt's Freezable Grocery Tote has the shape of a block bottom bag but with advanced materials that provide structural integrity, a comfortable carry and cooling capabilities that paper could never deliver.
In , a St. Paul, Minnesota grocer invented a reinforced, handled shopping bag after seeing his customers struggle to carry brown grocery bags. On behalf of all shoppers everywhere, thank you, Walter Deubener.
This part of paper bag history is as enduring as the square-bottom bag. The best modern grocery bag designs include reinforced seams and handles or straps to carry more, farther.
America's plastic bag history started in , and by the s, plastic bags had taken over the world.
The obvious advantage for retailers was that they were much cheaper than paper bags. Shoppers preferred them because durable and weather-resistant plastic proved relatively easier to carry.
The Swedish engineer who invented the one-piece, high-density polyethylene grocery bag in thought it was better for the environment because it was reusable and saved trees. However, plastic bags are so cheap to make and easy to use that they have become a single-use product due to convenience, with serious environmental consequences.
The original breast milk cooler includes a clear pocket for a name and date card. Plus, you get your pick of fun styles like polka dots.
Eight states have banned single-use plastic bags, and some of the nation's largest retailers, like Walmart and Kroger, are planning a nationwide ban or pilot-testing bagless stores. Similar efforts have been made all over the world.
Although the history of bags has a dark side, today's policymakers and consumers are wiser to the realities of plastic pollution, and many people are choosing alternatives for getting their purchases home. The demand has created new styles of grocery bags that are better than ever, and transporting fresh food has never been easier.
We all love a good bag, but have you ever stopped to think about the environmental impact of your bag choice? Here are some mind-blowing stats that might just make you rethink your go-to carry-all:
These stats show that our bag choices can have a big impact on the environment. Let's all make conscious choices and help protect our planet!
The 90s saw what a plastic bag habit can do to a planet, and the modern reusable tote was born.
Over the years, improved materials like insulation have been incorporated into reusable grocery bag designs. Perishable foods can go without refrigeration for one to two hours, and insulation helps make the most of that time but only by adding ice or ice packs can you keep foods safe for longer than two hours.
PackIt is the bag that's an ice pack, with the features of a traditional reusable tote plus the functionality of a cooler. None of the many different types of grocery bags, with or without insulation, have PackIt's built-in cooling capabilities.
The evolution of the grocery bag has brought us to an eco-friendly fridge on the go that's stylish and functional.
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You can use PackIt's grocery tote as-is or fold it up and put it in the freezer overnight to turn it into a portable cooler. Patented EcoFreeze® Technology turns the bag's interior gel lining frozen, completely surrounding whatever is placed inside the bag. There are no ice packs in the carrying space to pack, arrange or keep track of.
PackIt has taken the best features of each iteration in the evolution of the grocery bag and created a grocery tote for the ages.
PackIt carries it all groceries, school lunches, baby bottles, medicines and much more. Whether you need a mini cooler to protect your and makeup from the heat or bento containers customizable to any meal, let PackIt's technology and design help you keep things cool and organized.
Find the next evolution of the grocery bag at PackIt today!
SHOP NOWOriginally published in April , this story has been updated to include the latest facts, figures and references.
A novelty in the s, plastic shopping bags are now an omnipresent product found in every corner of the world. Produced at a rate of up to one trillion bags per year, they are showing up in the darkest depths of the ocean to the summit of Mount Everest to the polar ice caps. Being so widespread, plastic bags are intensifying some major environmental challenges.
So where did they come from and how did we reach this point?
Polyethylene, the most commonly used plastic, is created by accident at a chemical plant in Northwich, England. While polyethene had been created in small batches before, this was the first synthesis of the material that was industrially practical. Seeing its potential, it was initially used in secret by the British military during World War II.
Photo: WikipediaThe one-piece polyethylene shopping bag is patented by the Swedish company Celloplast. Designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin, the plastic bag quickly begins to replace cloth and plastic in Europe.
Photo: Flickr / jericl catAlready controlling 80 per cent of the bag market in Europe plastic bags begin to spread to the United States and other countries around the world. Plastic companies begin to aggressively market their single-use product as superior to paper and reusable bags.
Photo: Creative CommonsSafeway and Kroger, two of the biggest supermarket chains in the United States, switch to plastic bags. Though they are yet to be fully accepted by shoppers, single-use plastic bags are cheaper than alternatives, and more stores begin to follow Safeway and Krogers switch. By the end of the decade, plastic bags will have almost entirely replaced paper bags around the world.
Photo: VisualhuntSailor and researcher Charles Moore discovers the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest of several gyres in the worlds oceans where immense amounts of plastic waste have accumulated. Threatening marine life, this immense collection of marine litter and plastic pollution showcases the long-lasting and harmful effects of single-use plastic products.
Photo: Creative CommonsBangladesh is the first country in the world to implement a ban on thin plastic bags, after it was found they played a key role in clogging drainage systems during disastrous flooding. Other countries begin to follow suit.
Photo: ReutersWorldwide, one million plastic bags are consumed every minute.
Photo: ReutersAs of July , the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that 127 out of 192 countries reviewed have enacted some form of national legislation to address the problem of plastic bags.
Illustration: UNEP#BeatPlasticPollution is chosen as the theme of World Environment Day, hosted by India. Companies and governments around the world continue to announce new pledges to tackle plastic waste.
#BeatPlasticPollution is the theme of World Environment Day .
The European Unions (EU) Directive on single-use plastic products takes effect as the EU aims to lead the fight against marine litter and plastic pollution.
Photo: European CommissionRecognizing its massive waste problem, China commits to strengthening national plastic pollution control, ushering in an era of single-use plastic reduction.
Photo: CGTNOn the 20th of October, the governments of Peru and Rwanda proposed a draft resolution on an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. On the 6th of December, Japan submitted another draft resolution focusing on marine plastic pollution.
Photo: Unsplash / Nick Fewings
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