The plastic carry bagi
has become an iconic product in debates about the sustainability of packaging.
Its high strength to weight ratio, its barrier properties, and its low cost to manufacture have made it
a popular choice with retailers and consumers. At the same time, it has come to symbolize many of
the environmental concerns that consumers, governments and environmental organizations have
about packaging. The perceived impacts of plastic carry bags include the consumption of non-renewable
resources to manufacture a single-use product, low recovery rates at end of life, and high visibility
and ecological impacts in litter. As a result of these concerns, a number of countries and cities have
introduced regulations to reduce consumption of the bags or to eliminate them completely. Some
retailers are also taking action to reduce bag consumption in the absence of regulation. In the UK,