Background
Plastic bags were introduced to stores 25 years ago and have since become a staple in the way shoppers transport their groceries home. Today, 4 out of every 5 grocery bags are plastic. Worldwide, between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are consumed each year, while Americans alone use 84 to 100 billion of them annually. Of this huge number, only 1 to 3% are recycled into new products. The rest go from the consumer to the landfill where they take an estimated 500 years to decompose. Each year plastic bag manufacturing consumes 12 million barrels of oil. The city of San Francisco spends $8.5 million annually to clean up and deal with plastic bags. Chicago, with a population almost 4 times that of San Francisco, certainly spends more. Retail industries spend a significant amount on plastic bags, costs that are ultimately passed on to consumers. Considering Americans throw away up to one hundred billion plastic bags each year, and each bag costs stores roughly four cents, the annual impact adds up to $4 billion! Despite this, when consumers at local grocery stores were asked to consider how they might transport their groceries if there were no plastic bags, few were able to think of a viable alternative.

Paper or Plastic?
So what is preferable, paper or plastic? According to a report by the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment, updating and summarizing an analysis by Franklin and Associates Inc., at 2002 recycling rates “two plastic bags use less energy and produce less solid, atmospheric, and waterborne waste than a single paper bag.” Most people have a sense of the problems with plastic bags, but no viable solution. The bottom line is neither paper nor plastic offers a sustainable and environmentally sound answer to the problem of transporting groceries home from the store. An alternative must be sought.

Paper, Plastic or. . . ?
Consider Jane Consumer as she proceeds through the check-out line of any grocery store. What factors are at play when she hears the question asked, “Paper or plastic?” Does she consider which bag is easier to re-use; or which one will make her 15-minute trip home easier? Does she think about the growing bulge of bags under her sink or the expansive landfills inundated with once-used and discarded bags? And what about the retail store? What questions are they asking about Jane’s use of grocery bags? Why is it that they don’t seem to care how many double bags are used to carry a can of tuna? Industry and policy are shaped to accommodate the misconception that bags are free and must remain so. The key to success in this challenge is understanding which parties are invested in maintaining this notion.

Your task is to propose a viable alternative to “Paper or Plastic” from policy-, advocacy-, and product-based perspectives (all three or just one). Solutions should consider the social, economic, and environmental factors involved. More than merely a design exercise, the Challenge is expected to generate a wealth of ideas to inspire change in Chicago, as well as in other locations around the world. All entries and related resources will be posted online at www.betterbags.org with the winners in each category receiving special recognition. Foresight will also choose from among the submitted ideas and attempt to implement its selection(s) over the coming year in Chicago.Let the (sustainable) designing begin!

Peter Nicholson
Executive Director
Foresight Design Initiative

P.S. For more information and to get started, download and review the rest of the information packet.

CONTACT
Please address inquiries to:
Rob Olden, Program Assistant
Foresight Design Initiative, Inc.
E: rob@foresightdesign.org
T: (312) 670-7812