P.E.I. bag company sees plastic bag ban approaching
On Canada's Prince Edward Island, legislation banning plastic checkout bags will be coming into effe…On Canada's Prince Edward Island, legislation banning plastic checkout bags will be coming into effect in 2019. This is inspiring several producers to look back to the past for more environmentally-friendly packaging.
P.E.I. Bag Company in Bedeque is tapping into its roots with a new line of reusable shopping bags. "It has been a bit of an opportunity for P.E.I. Bag Company," said general manager Thane Smallwood. "We decided to get into selling some of the jute- or burlap-handle bags and that sort of fits with our history."
The company started in 1935 making burlap bags for packaging potatoes. Smallwood describes the new line as premium bags which come at premium prices, ranging from $4 to $10 for individual sales, with a better rate for wholesale orders.
"These bags are 100 per cent biodegradable, all natural, plant-based material as well as reusable," said purchase manager Pranav Trivedi. "It is labour intensive, unlike the plastic side of the business that is machine based, so that is why it is slightly premium priced."
The P.E.I. Bag Company makes paper and poly bags for customers in agriculture across Canada and the US. Cbc.ca quoted Smallwood as saying that the company's industrial customers are also looking for packaging that is recyclable or compostable as concern about single-use plastic grows.