Are paper bags really better than plastic ones?

Paper bags seem like a good alternative to plastic bags when buying fruit and vegetables. But experts say their environmental impact is worse. Photo: Benjamin Nolte/dpa

Paper bags might seem like a good alternative to plastic when bagging some fruit and vegetables at the shops. They're easy to recycle, can be made out of recycled paper and are biodegradable, right?

In fact, experts say their environmental impact is even worse than plastic bags.

Firstly, it takes more material to produce a stable paper bag. This includes long and chemically treated fibres, according to sustainability experts.

Additionally, the production of cellulose (a cellular substance that helps plants to remain stiff and upright) is extremely energy- and water-intensive!

For these reasons, a common, disposable bag made of fresh paper fibres would have to be used at least three times as often as a petroleum-based plastic bag to balance the climate footprint, environmental experts say.

Unfortunately, paper bags are almost always made of so-called "virgin pulp", a paper with no recycled content. Only very few are made out of recycled paper.

Another factor that determines sustainability is whether the paper bag is really only made of paper. Experts say that many producers still use packaging that has plastic or aluminium foil glued to the inside to prevent the paper from tearing when it comes into contact with moisture. In addition, a mix with other materials can prevent ink printed on the material from going into the food.

Nonetheless, processed paper is an issue because it can hardly be recycled in this way. Germany's Federal Environment Ministry also rates paper bags as "not really better than disposable plastic bags".

However, paper bags are still more likely to be recycled and they rarely end up in trees or floating down streets like plastic bags. If they do, they also would not remain there for long because the paper fibres rot quickly.

Altogether, if you want to use paper bags, you should definitely make sure that they are used several times, the ministry advises.

What about nets made of cotton or polyester?

When comparing alternatives, fruit and vegetable nets made of reusable polyester came in highest in a sustainability ranking. A study from 2021 on behalf of the nature conservation group NABU came to this conclusion, assuming that these nets would be used at least 50 times.

Many supermarkets offer these nets as a more durable alternative to disposable bags. Ecologically best are the ones with recycled polyester, according to the study.

However, fresh polyester also trumps other options. Nets made of cotton came in second, assuming that these would be used at least 100 times.

However, you should make sure that they are organic cotton. Otherwise, the farming process could be very harmful to the environment due to high water usage.

The notorious disposable plastic bags came in third in the ranking and paper bags came in fourth.

Can we use compostable bags with a clear conscience?Plastic bags made of maize or potato starch, which are advertised as "compostable", are not a good alternative according to experts. This is due to the fact that it is important for the waste cycle to recycle materials.

Therefore, composting after only one use is considered to be a waste of resources. If you want to buy them anyway though, you should ensure that you are able to give the bags to industrial composting plants for decomposition afterwards. The material will not degrade on your own compost heap. – dpa