When looking into paper bags just as we did for all our plastic bag alternatives we tried our best to find a Product that was good for the environment.

We were looking for paper bags that were European FSC and recycled plus all the other factors that we required (please look at our "Bag info" page to see requirements).

Due to dealing with over 40 shops differing needs of bag size, style and strength we found it impossible (and not through lack of trying) to find a wholesaler who sold purely just environmentally aware paper bags that met all our needs.

There are only a few stationery wholesalers in this country at the moment that do sell solely paper but their ranges are very small and could not cater for all the variety of bags the Modbury traders required. Thus we had to turn to the paper/plastic wholesalers.
We guess a lot of wholesaler's work on the point of view that the vast majority of this country still uses plastic bags and while that market is still there they will supply to it.

From our point of view, while the country continues to use plastic bags our choice in wholesalers is very limited. However, the Carrier Bag Shop "Bags for Tree's" range is a very good environmental paper bag. Remember it's solely the product we support. The bags are unbleached, EU,SFC forested, part recycled and milled at a plant that has taken substantial steps to lower its emissions.

We view ourselves like any other customer with buying power. If we choose environmental paper bags over a normal paper bag we put our money where our belief is. It's the same as somebody walking into a shop and buying fair-trade organic coffee over regular coffee; you'd love the whole shop stocked with fair-trade organic but you know only when enough people start to buy those lines will the shop change all its stock. It boils down to good old consumer choice.

However this year has seen a fast growing market for a wholesaler to sell purely environmental paper bags. It just needs one environmental entrepreneur out there to jump in and start that business up to fill the niche.