I’m a bagaholic-Part 3
This standing up in front of the world and admitting my addiction to shopping bags has proved to be therapeutic in many ways, but mostly because fellow bagaholics have come out of the woodwork! Thanks to all of you who read posts 1 or 2 in this series and along with me, admit that you simply cannot stop saying “yes” to reusable bags.
As troubling as the addiction may be, at least we’re not addicted to plastic!
In Part 2 of this series, I talked about how much I crave bag systems and reviewed Blue Avocado bags. (By the way, if you’re reading this before August 31, 2010, you can still enter the giveaway for a set of Blue Avocado bags just by commenting on this post.) And I promised to discuss another bag system I love for different reasons. This one is from Esse.
One thing I really, really like about the Esse system is the size of the tote. It’s only 9″x4″, but because of the way the bags that fit inside are designed, it holds three large grocery bags plus an assortment of small ones, neat as a pin! The reason? I’m no engineer, but I think it’s because Esse shopping bags ingeniously snap together. I’ve never seen this feature before. Just fold, snap and slide into the tote. Awesome!
Another nice aspect of Esse’s tote is the four pockets where you can keep more bags, coupons, pen, teether, snacks etc.
So what’s it made of?
I always want to know about bag fabrics and where items are sourced so I asked Esse’s owner Holly Jordan, about these issues. Here’s what she told me.
“The tote and grocery bags that I sent you are made from our original fabric which is 100% recycled PET (post-consumer waste plastic bottles). We have decided to change the fabric to a 42% recycled PET and polyester for strength, durability and washability reasons. The new material will hold up and look brand new for many years!”
This is one of those trade-offs that most companies have to make. We’d always prefer 100% sustainable, but for a variety of reasons that’s not always possible. We have to weigh the value of using the bags for longer against the decrease in recycled material.
Another feature of the new version of the tote is a longer strap. Amen to that! Not that it’s hard to carry it by the handle, but I like the flexibility of being able to use my shoulder when my hands are full.
I also asked Holly why the bags are manufactured in China. As is true for so many entrepreneurs, it comes down to cost. “After searching for well over a year here in the states, we came to the conclusion that a product like ours cannot be made here at a price that people can afford to spend on reusable bags. We made the hard decision to source overseas in China and feel we have found a great partner for our manufacturing. They produce the fabric and sew in house and abide by the guidelines set forth by ETI- Ethical Trade Initiative for fair labor practices,” she said.
“Upon receiving the bags, we work with Rebuild Resources (a rehab-to-work non-profit here in St Paul) to sew on all of our decorative panels, elastic and do all of our custom silkscreen work. We are also helping them to develop a stronger sewing department and hopefully will have some of the simple bags made there very soon! And we are working on a recycling program with them as well to turn worn reusable bags into Rebuilt Rugs,” she added.
All of this shows that Holly is committed to doing the right thing, to running as ethical and sustainable business as possible. That’s a huge positive for us.
A complete Esse shopping system consists of the carry-all, 3 grocery bags, 2 produce bags and one everyday bag. And right now, the system is on sale for a remarkable 40% off! Go here to purchase.
If you’ve used Esse bags, let us know what you like about the system.
