Bored with reusable bags? These new thought-provoking designs by TBWA/Vancouver certainly shake things up. The bags feature images and statements that contradict with eco-friendly practices. The idea is to get people thinking about sustainability in a funny, non-preachy way. More info below the jump...
The bags are pricel at $25 and available for pre-order by e-mailing TBWA\Vancouver. All proceeds will go to TBWA\Vancouver's not-for-profit client BuySmartBC, which is a learning resource for various organizations in their sustainability purchasing efforts.
More on Reusable Bags from Apartment Therapy:
• AT On... Organizing Reusable Bags In The Kitchen
• Green @ Home: My Reusable Shopping Bag
• Canadian Tire's Reusable Shopping Bag
• How To: Use a Reusable Bag as Gift Wrap

Comments (27)
Reusable bags are the new bacon.
i like.
heh. go vancouver!! me likey
hahahaha.
One small problem... I'm not sure the target audience will go for them.
I use reusable bags, try to buy local, and dislike SUV's... but I really don't like these bags. To me they seem mean-spirited and snotty instead of witty.
Haha! These are great, especially the I <3 Imported Produce one.
These bags make me laugh.
als1- why would you like them? they're poking fun of you.
which ties in with whytephoenix's observation....
but i think they do have a target audience, people like me.
although i wouldn't pay that price for a reusable bag, I like them. I like to reduce/reuse/recycle, go to farmer's markets, thrift shop, etc, etc, but see myself as being different from many in that same crowd as i don't wear my beliefs/ practices on my sleeve. like it says in the description, they're non-preachy and actually making fun of being that way.
the preachy and 'looking down your nose at those you don't think are environmental like you' attitude/ stickers/ clothing/ etc is so lame and annoys me to no end.
lab director said it best. I'm all for being conscious of my consumption habits and such, but I'm not on board with the preachy "I think I'm better than you because I drive a hybrid and have a reusable tote." So I'm pretty much all about these bags, awesome, but too much $$ for me.
I think these are terrifically cheeky, and would consider buying one if only they came in bigger sizes. For now, I swear by my huge blue Ikea bags, which cost a dollar, are indestructible, and are comfortable to carry even when filled to the top with twenty pounds of groceries.
I might get some frowns by admitting this, but for me using a reusable bag is almost as much about comfort as it is about saving the environment. I got really sick of those skinny plastic bag handles cutting into my hands during my ten minute walk home from the store!
Hilarious. I love the winking irony.
Really als1? "See ladies, I am sensitive" is mean spirited? You must have bypassed middle school completely, you lucky earnest duck, you.
I don't know what's funnier- the bags or the first comment on this post... reusable bags are the new bacon! ha! Thanks for the smile.
These are more a humor litmus test than anything else. Especially the $25 cost - now that's funny!
Or you could just take a sharpie to any existing bags. I like that someone thinks these are snotty and mean-spirited. Just like me! If I carry one, others of my kind might seek me out.
I live in Berkeley, CA. I really want to get the one that says 'My other bag is in my SUV' as I'm pretty sure there are more Priuses per capita here than any other place in the world.
However, after having lived in this beautiful but quirky city off and on for the past 10 years, I'm pretty sure the majority of the people here will not understand the irony and I will get confronted and goaded into a shouting match on a regular basis or my non-Prius will get keyed.
I love the chainsawing bag! It took me quite a while to consistently remember, but I've been using reusable bags for about a year now, and little by little I think it's beginning to catch on. Our grocery stores here also give a credit of 1 to 3 cents per bag...and I've been told by one store that they plan to phase out providing plastic/paper bags within the next year or so. Honestly, mainly I use it b/c it holds a lot more, doesn't break in the parking lot, and it's easy to carry.
Mike Judge's The Goode Family had something along these lines. It showed a woman in an organic market carrying a canvas bag that said "An Inconvenient Bag."
I think if I carried one of those here in Santa Monica, it would cause a riot. Seriously.
I can't understand why anybody would not find these bags funny! They're so cute!
Is humor not in right now?
I can't remember where I saw this post, but there are some bags that are only $6.00 and say:
"I use this bag because my wife cares about the environment" and
"I usually leave this bag in the car"
Much better.
I saw one recently that said something to the effect of "I don't care about the environment, but my wife does so I am using this bag." Perfect for my husband, who would refuse to carry it.
i'm studying in paris for a few weeks and i bought an extra reusable bag here for .80 euro at monoprix. The outside of the bag says "le sac qui remplace des milliers de sacs" which translates to "the bag that replaces thousands of bags." while certainly not as snarky as the bags above I found it a lot funnier than offerings from grocery stores in the states.
they charge us 5 cents a plastic bag up here in pretty much every retailer so i got one of these wretched little things to pile my groceries in because i will be god damned if im going to pay 5 cents a bag. I took a sharpie to it and wrote "100% Produced by Sweatshop Labour" on the side. I feel a little better about using it
"Plastic Producers Convention -- Las Vegas -- 1986"
"Monsanto Company Picnic -- Decatur, IL -- 1997"
"Tyson Chicken Dayze -- Helfin, Alabama -- 2005"
ohjodi -- now, THOSE would be funny... I think I might steal your ideas and make my own. thank you.
Palmetto - I think I love you.
These bags are great. The price tag isn't, but oh boy, I love these.