Plastic garbage is a hazard to the marine ecosystem, and though ocean pollution is a significant issue facing the world today, plastic bags can really come in handy. If you have to do some unexpected shopping and you forget your cloth bag at home, perhaps biodegradable shopping bags could be useful.
Thankfully, there’s a company in Shikoku Chuo City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, that developed a plastic bag that won’t hurt the environment. The bag is made of plant-based resin and decomposes in the sea within 180 days, turning into water and carbon dioxide. With a product like this, we don’t need to feel guilty for all of those moments when using a plastic bag is necessary.
They will have their new eco-friendly plastic bags available for sale in July, where Japanese retailers will be obliged to charge for shopping bags. These bags are seven to ten times more expensive than conventional shopping bags, but the company is hopeful that people will buy them as the right choice for the planet. It says that several firms are already considering buying them.
Teruyuki Ono, a Fukusuke Kogyo official, sees these bags as a great way to contribute to the fight against ocean pollution. These marine biodegradable shopping bags are a collaboration between Gunma University and Japan’s largest plastic shopping bag maker, Fukusuke Kogyo. The bags are made from corn and sugar cane resin. They will be manufactured in the standard size that is commonly distributed at supermarkets. It will be strong enough to hold 8 kg of groceries.
If it ends up in the sea, over 90% will dissolve in water and carbon dioxide, completely broken down by marine bacteria. If sea creatures eat it, it is harmless because it is made of plant-based materials.
The company applied to have the bag certified as a marine biodegradable product by a Belgium-based certification body. If it’s approved, the bag will be the world’s first plastic shopping bag recognized as being able to disintegrate in seawater safely.
