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It was Margaret E. Knight who invented the first machine to manufacture paper bags with a flat bottom. This design made the bags more robust and useful for carrying heavier items.
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Plastic bags took over the market in the 1980s and have since dominated the bag industry. The first plastic bag in its modern form was created by Sten Gustaf Thulin in 1965 and quickly became common.
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In the 1990s, attention began to be drawn to the harmful effects of plastic, especially in our oceans. Plastic waste and litter became an increasingly big problem.
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To reduce the use of plastic bags, many countries have implemented bans on the production, use, and sale of plastic bags. Ireland and Bangladesh were the first countries to introduce such laws in 2002.
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Biodegradable bags, also called bioplastic bags, were developed as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags. These bags break down faster in nature and can help reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste.
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Reusable bags, such as cloth bags, reusable plastic bags, compostable bags, and hemp bags, are becoming increasingly popular as alternatives to plastic bags. This indicates a decreased use of plastic bags in the future.
Here in Sweden, the plastic bag tax was introduced in 2020, which contributed to a reduction in usage. During 2022, the consumption of plastic bags in Sweden increased slightly. A total of 206 million plastic bags were manufactured or imported into the market, of which 176 million were the thin plastic bags covered by the EU's reduction targets. The consumption of regular plastic bags was 17 per person, a slight increase from previous years. The tax on plastic bags, introduced in 2020, has had a clear effect on reducing consumption. Other factors that have influenced this include changed purchasing behaviors due to the pandemic and increased awareness of the environmental impact of plastic.
(www.naturvardsverket.se)
(https://blog.mdpi.com/)
