apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Green Idea: Envirosax Reusable Grocery Bags

20070802bags1.jpg

Wow! Are these bags not gorgeous?! Who knew that living green could look so good?

Envirosax, an eco-friendly Australian company, wants us to know a few things about our plastic grocery bags. They claim that 380 billion plastic bags are used in the USA every year and only 1-2% of those bags are recycled. That means our landfills are clogging up with...way too many plastic bags.

Luckily, Envirosax is providing us with, not a true solution, but "a move in the right direction."

 
 
20070802bags2.jpg

The bags are sold either individually for $8 each or as a 5-bag series (complete with a handy carry-all pouch) for $35. They're lightweight and waterproof (we're guessing nylon) and are reinforced to handle the same amount of groceries as two regular-sized disposable bags.

20070802bags3.jpgWe love the flora series (seen at top) and the more masculine monochromatic series (black and white). Our favorite single bag, however, is the Amazonia #4 (at right). A bag this pretty deserves to carry a lot more than just milk and eggs.

AT On-Topic:
Apartment Therapy Market Bag
How To: Knit a Shopping Bag
Ways to Reuse Plastic Bags

Tags

green ideas

Related Links

Share

Comments (13)

I would buy these bags in a minute if I knew what they were made of - it's not explicitly mentioned anywhere on the other websites I went to from the original link - and that bugs me.

posted by Susanna on August 2nd 2007 at 7:41am
view Susanna's profile

They are made of lightweight polyester - says so here: http://www.envirosax.com/pages/products.php

posted by design milk on August 2nd 2007 at 7:52am
view design milk's profile

p.s. we sell them for $33/pouch

posted by design milk on August 2nd 2007 at 7:53am
view design milk's profile

My husband and I got some of these in the retro pattern after we decided that was the most gender neutral design. They are awesome -- incredibly sturdy and easy to roll up and store, and we always get comments on them at the grocery store. So easy to throw one in your purse, too. We got ours at delight.com.

posted by Devon on August 2nd 2007 at 8:29am
view Devon's profile

Thanks for the investigative skills, design milk. I swear I checked out every line of text on their site and didn't see that material mention. I even emailed the company!

And thanks for the $2 discount too!

posted by jessica on August 2nd 2007 at 8:31am
view jessica's profile

I got mine at Delight.com too but in the Flora. They are great. Definitely get covetous comments at the grocery store. Use them when I go shopping for clothes and other items too. Only caveat: watch out when placing boxes in the bags. I put a computer box in one of my bags and the box punctured a hole. It hasnt ripped the bag or otherwise affected it but I am bummed anyway.

posted by Trumystique on August 2nd 2007 at 8:56am
view Trumystique's profile

Everyone I have talked to who owns these bags loves them. I can't wait for mine to come in!

posted by design milk on August 2nd 2007 at 9:23am
view design milk's profile

It's cool to see an Australian company here. I often wish there were an Aussie site for those of us "Down Under." I'm thinking about getting some of these and carrying one or two around in my handbag for everyday purchases (not just groceries). I haven't been able to convince my partner to use the reusable grocery bags we have at home so I think it's going to be an even harder sell getting him to bring patterned girly-looking bags.

posted by stoat on August 2nd 2007 at 4:14pm
view stoat's profile

I ordered the flora series from vitamin (d)esign, I can't wait for them to arrive.

posted by vertigo on August 8th 2007 at 9:36am
view vertigo's profile

My wife bought a couple of sets of the Envirosax line...she loves them. She likes to match them to her outfits when she goes shopping. They're pretty durable and they roll up nice and small. She bought them from a company called Bangalla. Here's the website: http://www.bangalla.com/envirosax-reusablebags.htm

Enjoy!!

posted by walkdiggler on October 3rd 2007 at 4:03pm
view walkdiggler's profile

I ordered several from Envirosax directly. The first shipment got lost by UPS, and as far as I know, no second shipment was ever made, nor have my emails been answered. I'm out about $20, and not happy about it. It's a shame that a company which is supposed to be environmentally friendly has such poor customer service. It defeats the purpose of trying to woo people over to using such products.

posted by Dargie on October 18th 2007 at 10:04pm
view Dargie's profile

This is a follow up to my previous comment. I was finally able to connect with the company owner and she was shocked that I had not yet received my order. She took care of it immediately, and I now have my Envirosax with which I am very pleased. I want to correct any impression I may have given that the company is slack in any way. Rather, it seems that the problem was one of miscommunication.

posted by Dargie on December 21st 2007 at 5:36am
view Dargie's profile

I bought an Envirosax bag and loved it! I then decided to try and make my own and found some really good information here: http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/03/21/make-your-own-reusable-shopping-bags/

posted by tjdotson on March 30th 2008 at 4:34pm
view tjdotson's profile