Better than Plastic

Who would have thought that anything as innocuous as a bag in which to carry your purchases could have such an enormous impact on business and the environment? But that’s what has happened with companies electing to take the high road with regard to the environment. Over these past two decades, businesses and consumers have completely ignored the impact that plastic has on the world and against all advice from experts, we have continued to manufacture, use and dispose of plastic carelessly.

Along comes a company that has a brilliant idea. Yes, we will make bags for you to use. Yes, we will include advertising on there for you. No, we will not make them out of plastic or any material that is not biodegradable. Good job! So we have a specialised bag shop that can do all this and make money. They actually do make plastic bags, especially for expos and shows, but the material is bio polythene which, when exposed to sunlight will eventually degrade completely.

Taking the bag thing a little further, they even manufacture those handy little sandwich and pie bags that the corner shop or fast food outlet uses. They can also be used for advertising and at 2p per bag that’s pretty cheap costs with a lot of coverage. I’m not sure how many people read the outside of their sandwich bag but if we use a comparison, it would be the shopping dockets. How many people looked at the back of their checkout receipts to see the specials advertised there? Some were quite good discounts. It’s all about awareness and finding the best places to save money.

As a financial advisor I probably wouldn’t be going to that level to tell you how to save money, but if you are aware of these schemes, then the choice is yours. Speaking of financial advice, companies that are actively involved in businesses which preserve wildlife, the environment or are working on Research and Development projects in that area will be the investments of the future. An awareness of the environment and the saving of particular species of animals will move further and further into public focus.

There’s a company called the Seventh Generation that makes eco-friendly products such as diapers, laundry detergent and trash bags and the name comes from an Iroquois Indian saying that means “in our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.” Catchy name for a serious game.

The move is to get away from petrochemical-based products in everything we manufacture and use. Items made from something that has been in the ground for millions of years will take the same amount of time to degrade. Keep that in mind.