How Can The Humble Bag Save Our Oceans?

Online, February 11, 2010 (Newswire.com) - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRISTOL UK February 11th 2010 - PlanetBluegroup is supporting the Bristol office of the national UK company Teleperformance, with their plastic bag free day on 16th February. Supplying eco friendly alternatives to the plastic shopping bag for employees to purchase & support their companies 2010 "Save the Oceans" event.

Environmental Impact of Plastic Bags

Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities, a large proportion of this is plastic shopping bags. Plastic decomposes very slowly & is often mistaken by marine animals as food. Plastic bags have been found blocking the breathing passages
and stomachs of many marine species, including whales, dolphins, seal, puffins, and turtles.

Because of the huge number of plastic bags used worldwide, the negative environmental impact is considerable. Plastic bags impact on the environment in a number of different ways.

· Plastic bags aren't biodegradable. They actually go through a process called photo degradation-breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate both soil and water, and end up entering the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.
· According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. Of those, approximately 100 billion are plastic shopping bags, which cost retailers about $4 billion annually.
· According to various estimates, Taiwan consumes 20 billion plastic bags annually (900 per person), Japan consumes 300 billion bags each year (300 per person), and Australia consumes 6.9 billion plastic bags annually (326 per person).
· Hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, sea turtles and other marine mammals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags they mistake for food.
· Discarded plastic bags have become so common in Africa they have spawned a cottage industry. People there collect the bags and use them to weave hats, bags and other goods. According to the BBC, one such group routinely collects 30,000 bags every month.
· Plastic bags as litter have even become commonplace in Antarctica and other remote areas. According to David Barnes, a marine scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, plastic bags have gone from being rare in the late 1980s and early 1990s to being almost everywhere in Antarctica.

What's the answer?

The solution is simple & affordable. Eco bags are made of materials that don't harm the environment during production and don't need to be discarded after each use. So why not have your company or your workplace, organize their own "plastic bag free" day?

PlanetBluegroup creates environmental awareness & personal well being through the use of eco friendly products. Providing information & resources to allow people to live a greener lifestyle. Their motto is " Green Living is Healthy Living".

If you would like to purchase eco friendly alternatives, visit: www.PlanetBluegroup.com
or email David Wilkins: [email protected] for more information.