Reusable Bag & Paper Bag Blog

From Plastic to Reusable Paper Bags

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:25:08 +0000

Reusable paper bag

Consumer trends affect every business. To today’s consumer, the plastic bag carries negative connotations. It’s true they are recyclable but studies have shown that only about 5% of all disposable plastic bags are ever recycled. Are you sending the right message as a business?

Paper kraft bags are compostable and recyclable; you won’t see them choking the vegetation at the side of the road or hanging from trees. That bad rap is the reason more and more retailers are turning to reusable paper bags.

In the restaurant business, paper bags for take-out provide a professional and branded way for your name to be carried home on public transit or back to the office. Paper bags already have a long association with the grocery and restaurant businesses, where their current use is just going back to the practices of decades past – but this time with a difference: materials and branding.

Paper bags by ICEGREEN are completely customizable, come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors and can be printed with your design, slogan or logo to increase branding awareness wherever the bags may travel.

We can design:

• Paper bags

• Tree-free stone paper bags

• Bags with PP cord handles

• Optional cardboard reinforced top fold over, bottom liner and hangtag

• Our reusable paper retail bags can be fully customizable to your dimensions and artwork requirements

Made from 100% recycled materials, our paper bags are reusable and eco-friendly. The same is true about our reusable paper shopping bags.

Reusable paper bags are great packaging options for retail stores, clothing stores, hotels, grocery stores, gourmet food stores, gift shops and much more. Many upscale retail locations use custom-designed paper bags for their store packaging to set themselves apart from the competition, and you can too!

Evolve your business. Go green with ICEGREEN today.

About Us

We manufacture and distribute a variety of innovative and environmentally responsible solutions that make sense for businesses and consumers alike. These include custom printed reusable bags, thermal bags, paper bags, eco-friendly poly bags, nylon bags, and tree-free stone paper bags. We also offer eco-jewellery packaging & gift boxes, recycled gift wrap, and eco-friendly plain tissue paper.

Our products are made from a wide range of materials including cotton, bamboo, recycled PET, FSC-certified Kraft paper and many others. Most of our materials used contain recycled content and are recyclable as well.

Supplying Custom Reusable Bags and other packaging across Canada including: Alberta, Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia, Vancouver, Manitoba, Winnipeg, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Ontario, Toronto, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Montreal, Saskatchewan, Regina, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Nunavut, Iqaluit, Yukon, Whitehorse. In fact, we can ship to the U.S. and worldwide.

Lululemon and Reusable Bag Branding

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:21:52 +0000

Are you branding as well as Lululemon, the Vancouver-based maker of trendy yoga and running wear?

Theirs is a great example of how smart for the environment can definitely mean smart for business too. You’d have to be pretty far removed from any media or pop culture references not to have heard of Vancouver’s Lululemon, the Canadian yoga wear phenomenon. Building environmentally sound practices into those remarkably successful branding strategies has included an extensive use of reusable bags.

The company has used a series of designs based around their iconic logo in various colours, including black and white and the red versions they’re perhaps best known for. Occasionally, they’ll also feature yoga inspired graphics.

Lululemon offers the reusable bags – which they call ‘shoppers’ – in a variety of sizes and formats, including shopping bags, gym bags and reusable lunch bags. Every shopper is offered a reusable bag, creating thousands of moving billboards that keep the brand name in the public eye.

The bags have become synonymous with Lululemon and in fact have developed a resale market all of their own, with ebay listings that typically range from $0.99 to $12 each.

It’s a highly effective strategy that puts their brand name in general public view and on consumer’s minds. It associates the brand with the kind of environmentally conscious lifestyle their customers identify with. The cost of the bags pays dividends when it comes to brand name recognition.

Municipalities may or may not have an official ban on plastic bags, but the fact is that many consumers are already in the habit of using reusable shopping bags and savvy retailers understand that offering reusable bags makes good business sense.
• You’re connecting with young, progressive and socially conscious consumers
• They’re taking your branded reusable shopping bag – and your name and logo – all over town

ICEGREEN Solutions
At ICEGREEN, we can offer you multiple reusable bag solutions from simple shopping totes to customizable multi-pocket specialty bags and more. We offer a range of colour choices and can customize designs with your logo and brand name.

As one of North America’s “fastest growing” manufacturers of contaminant-free and lead-free bags and other products, ICEGREEN carries a wide-variety of customizable, stylish and commercially viable packaging options for B2C, B2B and Non-Profit customers large and small, including:
• Reusable bags for retail, groceries or promotions
• Customizable Reusable bags for branding
• Thermal bags
• Paper bags
• Eco-friendly poly bags
• Nylon bags
• Tree-free stone paper bags
• Eco-jewellery packaging & gift boxes
• Recycled gift wrap
• Eco-friendly plain tissue paper
• And more…

Contact us today to find out more about reusable bags. Your customers will love them – and so will you!
Evolve your business. Go green with ICEGREEN today.

Plastic Bag Bans Court Controversy

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:08:09 +0000

Toronto City Council’s recent decision to backtrack on previous plans to ban the use of plastic bags from grocery markets seems to come in opposition to the prevailing trend in North America. Across the continent, it’s true, many municipalities have instituted or are discussing some type of plastic bag ban or tariff similar to the 5-cent fee that was overturned by the same City Council last year. However, even a casual perusal of the headlines surrounding the issue reveals a mixed response overall.

The state of California is often touted for its progressive environmental laws and regulations but it has proved to be a divisive issue in many areas, voted down in some municipalities. Oregon and Nevada municipalities and New York State have also tried and failed to implement a plastic bag ban.

Consumer Concerns
Naturally, businesses – particularly small businesses – object based on cost and inconvenience. Editorial pages, however, have also been home to many complaints from consumers. It’s true that consumers are more and more interested in their own environmental choices, but they feel understandably resentful of a situation where they have no control and they’re out of pocket – again.
• First, they have to buy the bag they used to get for free;
• Then, what happens if the reusable bag is forgotten at home? The consumer is then forced to purchase yet another bag.
Many consumers see it as just another grab at their wallets.

Smart Retailers and IceGreen
A smart retail solution to the shopping bag dilemma is to provide reusable bags. The green consumer movement is having its growing pains but it is still the wave of the future; just as non-smoking areas were controversial in the beginning, plastic bag bans will outgrow their controversy.

So, while city councils, provincial and state governments waffle back and forth, consumers are left with a series of temporary situations not knowing whether to bring their reusable shopping bags or not. Make it easier on them by offering any one of ICEGREEN’S many contaminant-free and lead-free bags.

ICEGREEN carries a wide-variety of customizable, stylish and commercially viable packaging options for B2C, B2B and Non-Profit customers large and small, including:
• Reusable Bags
• Reusable Produce Bags
• Reusable Thermal Bags
• Nylon Bags/Signature Series
• Reusable Paper Bags
• Eco-Friendly Gift Boxes
• Other Green Products
• Recycling Containers & Programs
• Stock Bags
• Eco-friendly plain tissue paper
• And more…

You can easily customize items with your logo, slogan or message to help establish your brand wherever your customers travel.
We offer a wide range of materials including cotton, bamboo, recycled PET, FSC-certified Kraft paper, and many others; most of our materials used contain recycled content and are recyclable as well. Our 9001-2000-certified factories are located in Canada, the U.S.A., China and India, with distribution centers across North America so we can ship worldwide.

Contact us today to find out more about reusable bags. Your customers will love them – and so will you!
Evolve your business. Go green with ICEGREEN today.

About Us
We manufacture and distribute a variety of innovative and environmentally responsible solutions that make sense for businesses and consumers alike. These include custom printed reusable bags, thermal bags, paper bags, eco-friendly poly bags, nylon bags, and tree-free stone paper bags. We also offer eco-jewellery packaging & gift boxes, recycled gift wrap, and eco-friendly plain tissue paper.
Our products are made from a wide range of materials including cotton, bamboo, recycled PET, FSC-certified Kraft paper and many others. Most of our materials used contain recycled content and are recyclable as well.
Supplying Custom Reusable Bags and other packaging across Canada including: Alberta, Edmonton, Calgary, British Columbia, Vancouver, Manitoba, Winnipeg, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Ontario, Toronto, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Montreal, Saskatchewan, Regina, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Nunavut, Iqaluit, Yukon, Whitehorse. In fact, we can ship to the U.S. and worldwide.

Toronto Councillors Revoke Plastic Bag Ban

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:54:04 +0000

Toronto councilors have decided to backtrack on their decision earlier this year to ban single-use plastic bags from grocery stores, a move that was to take effect as of January 1, 2013. The decision is reported to be based on legal advice sought after the City was confronted with legal challenges, including one from the Ontario Convenience Stores Association. The motion to reverse the ban was passed on a vote of 38 to 7 but Toronto City Council is due to revisit the proposed plastic bag ban again in June. Some members of Council, at least, seem to be hoping to revive the initiative.

Now, after former Mayor Ford succeeded in striking down the 5-cent plastic bag fee, it leaves Toronto in the unenviable position where the use and sale of plastic bags is completely unregulated – meaning we’re likely to see even more of them blowing around on the streets and filling up landfills. It’s estimated that Torontonians use about 215 million plastic bags annually, a mountain that requires approximately 1,400 tonnes of plastic to manufacture. Ouch.

That’s not what today’s consumer wants. Even without an official ban, many consumers are already in the habit of using reusable shopping bags and savvy retailers understand that offering reusable bags makes good business sense.
• You’re connecting with young, progressive and socially conscious consumers
• They’re taking your branded reusable shopping bag – and your name and logo – all over town

ICEGREEN Solutions: Reusable, Customizable, Safe and Stylish

Contact us today to find out more about reusable bags. Your customers will love them – and so will you!
Evolve your business. Go green with ICEGREEN today.

About Us

Reusable Hotel Laundry Bags

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:44:29 +0000

The corporate world is going green and it’s not just for P.R. purposes. More and more, companies are finding out that adopting eco-friendly practices is saving them money along with providing golden opportunities for enhanced customer relations and brand promotion.

The hotel industry often gets bad press when it comes to the environment, notorious for the waste of resources in particular. Many of the large international hotel chains are taking the initiative by incorporating sustainable planning right into their corporate operations. These initiatives work to reduce waste, save electricity and water and much more.

Changing the environmental impact means rethinking all the details that go into the everyday processes of housecleaning and guest services. There’s a point to be made about the impact of the hotel industry in general with its worldwide reach. Large hotel chains often employ tens of thousands of people across the globe, so instilling environmentally friendly principles into their everyday operations is something that will have a long reach.

Just Another Disposable Bag, or Much More?
Those changes can come from any area from building maintenance to kitchen procedures and community outreach programs. It’s all in the details – like what kind of laundry bag you offer your guests. A plastic, disposable bag is just another drop in the landfill, where a custom reusable laundry bag can be a promotional tool that will spread your name beyond your immediate area as your former guest goes home.

At ICEGREEN, we offer:
• A wide range of materials to choose from, including cotton, bamboo, recycled PET, FSC-certified Kraft paper and many others.
• Most of our materials used contain recycled content and are recyclable as well.
• A convenient drawstring design your guests will appreciate.
• Customizable design that can incorporate your brand, logo and message in a range of color choices.

The clear trend all over North America leans towards more environmentally responsible packaging, and companies who can offer their own reusable bags are appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.

Contact us today to find out more about reusable hotel laundry bags. Your customers will love them – and so will you!
Evolve your business. Go green with ICEGREEN today.

The Eco Benefits of Custom Eco Packaging

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:36:14 +0000

Custom Reusable Bag

Consumer packaging produces millions of tons of waste every year and savvy modern companies are taking steps to reduce that toll by using custom eco-packaging. International athletic wear manufacturer PUMA took nearly two years to come up with their “clever little bag” design that replaced the iconic red shoebox.

The new packaging concept saves tons of paper, millions of kilojoules of electricity and millions of litres of water and results in 65% less cardboard use. Along with the eco-benefits, the company got a great PR boost to their corporate image. Corporate responsibility when it comes to the environment is becoming more and more of a concern to consumers.

At ICEGREEN, we’ve already done the groundwork for you in coming up with our own innovative processes and products. We can offer a full range of customizable eco-packaging for your goods in designs that can be customized for any use and can include a wide range of features including:
• Customized handle material
• External or internal pockets
• Hang Tags
• Snap closures
• Velcro closures
• Zipper closures
• Drawstring closures
• And more!

At ICEGREEN, designing and creating custom reusable bags and packaging is our specialty. If it is currently packaged in a bag or a box, we can custom design an alternative that is reusable and eco-friendly.

More than “just” packaging…

Eco-packaging delivers a message to your clients and it’s one that you can turn into a moving endorsement of your products. Along with improved packaging and reduced waste, your custom eco-packaging can be designed to incorporate your brand, logo and corporate message whenever and wherever they go.
• We can emblazon your message on a wide variety of bag colors, sizes, styles and materials

Not sure about the design? No problem. Our in-house design team will help to create one-of-a-kind eco-packaging for your company.

Evolve your business. Go green with IceGreen today.

About ICEGREEN
We manufacture and distribute a variety of innovative and environmentally responsible solutions that make sense for businesses and consumers alike. These include custom printed reusable bags, thermal bags, paper bags, eco-friendly poly bags, nylon bags, and tree-free stone paper bags. We also offer eco-jewellery packaging & gift boxes, recycled gift wrap, and eco-friendly plain tissue paper.

Non-Woven Reusable Bags…Toronto’s Answer to the Plastic Bag Ban

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:09:49 +0000

Toronto, Canada recently became the largest municipality to ban plastic shopping bags from grocery and shopping markets earlier this year. As the ban date of January 1, 2013 gets closer and closer, retailers are scrambling to find viable alternatives.

Many retailers already offer some type of reusable bag for sale or use them as promotional tools for special sales and other events. However, with the outright ban looming, many are reconsidering their options and asking some pertinent questions.

• Cost? – the cost of many reusable bags may be prohibitive for universal use. How to find a more cost effective alternative?

• Features? – do your reusable bags serve your needs as well as they could? Are they “a” solution or “the best” solution?

At ICEGREEN, we’ve come up with a brand new and very cost effective solution to your reusable bag needs. Our Non-Woven Reusable T-Shirt Bags can be customized to display your company name or logo and come in a variety of colours. The difference lies in the manufacturing process.

• They’re machine made, not hand sewn, leading to much lower costs

• They’re environmentally friendly – both reusable and recyclable

• They’re made of a durable heavy duty non-woven PP fabric that’s washable too

As the lowest priced non-woven reusable bag in its class, our Reusable Non-Woven T-Shirt Bag makes an excellent alternative to poly/plastic bags. It’s the perfect solution for grocers and other food retailers to existing and imminent plastic bags bans across Ontario, Canada and other parts of North America.

The clear trend all over North America leans towards more environmentally responsible packaging, and retailers who can offer their own reusable bags are appealing to environmentally conscious consumers even as reusable bags provide increased brand exposure and promotional benefits beyond your store’s walls.

Looking for the best in non woven reusable bags and reusable paper bags? Contact us today for a pressure-free quote. We can help.

Get to know us:

ICEGREEN is one of the largest manufacturers of reusable bags and reusable paper bags around, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more) across North America and beyond. And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.

Introducing The Non-Woven Reusable T-Shirt Bag from ICEGREEN Reusable Bags

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 01:45:43 +0000

At ICEGREEN, we’re constantly coming up with new and innovative solutions to consumer packaging issues. Let us introduce you to our latest product: the Non-Woven Reusable T-shirt Bag.

With our Non-Woven Reusable T-shirt Bags, you can create a traveling advertisement customized for your business that’s inexpensive and environmentally friendly too. Now you can offer your customers a reusable non-woven bag with a difference that you’ll appreciate.

• The bags are machine made – not hand sewn – reducing costs to much less than that of conventional reusable bags.

• They’re durable, made of heavy duty non-woven PP material (a fabric).

• They’re both reusable and recyclable.

• They’re machine washable.

• The non-woven reusable bags come in a variety of colours and may be customized with your brand or logo.

Reusable Non-Woven T-shirt Bags can be used for a variety of purposes, including promotions and everyday shopping use as an excellent and cost efficient alternative to poly or plastic bags.

Your customers will love them – and so will you!

The clear trend across Canada and North America leans towards more environmentally responsible packaging, and retailers who can offer their own reusable bags are appealing to environmentally conscious consumers even as the bags provide increased brand exposure and promotional benefits beyond your store’s walls.

Looking for the best in Non-Woven Reusable Bags and reusable paper bags? Contact us today for a pressure-free quote. We can help.

Get to know us:

ICEGREEN is one of the largest manufacturers of non-woven reusable bags and paper bags around, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Grocery, Retail, Restaurant Chains and much more) across Canada, North America and beyond. And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.

Stone Paper Bags: Completely Tree Free!

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:54:51 +0000

Toronto has just become the largest North American city to ban plastic bags from grocery markets, but there’s an underlying controversy with respect to one of the alternatives. Sure, you can offer customers reusable bags, but will they remember to bring them? And if they don’t, then what will you offer – paper bags?

Paper grocery bags come with their own set of issues. While it may be desirable in many ways to discontinue using plastic, using paper means you’re also using trees.

What’s the solution?

ICEGREEN can offer you a perfect solution that’s consumer and eco-friendly, and it doesn’t use either plastic or paper.

Our Stone Paper bags are 100% tree free, and are made using an innovative mineral-based process that saves both trees and water. The manufacturing process conserves trees and water and produces less waste than traditional paper bag production. The result is a bag that’s both strong and durable, and makes a practical and consumer-friendly way to take items home.

About the Process

We make stone paper with a calcium carbonate limestone, a material that is actually a waste by-product and found in quarries. We combine this substance with non-toxic resin additives for a result that’s both water and tear resistant.

We don’t use strong smelling chemicals like bleach. Our stone paper bags are chlorine-free and acid-free and don’t create air pollution. They are 100% recyclable. All of these features can help sell your business as being environmentally conscious, and offer your customers an innovative alternative.

What Stone Paper Bags Can Do for You

Wow your customers by going one step farther and offering them the “greenest” solution to the shopping bag dilemma. We can customize your bags with hundreds of design options to add style and brand recognition to your check-out counter.

Get to Know Us

ICEGREEN is one of the largest manufacturers of recyclable, lead-free and reusable paper bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (including Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more) across North America and globally. And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money. Looking for the best in reusable paper bags and packaging products? Contact ICEGREEN today!

Reusable Bags: The Perfect Alternative to Plastic Bags

David Lawson (Reusable & Paper Bag User) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:18:56 +0000

Reusable Bag for Shopping

Toronto City Council has voted to ban plastic grocery bags as of January 1, 2013, making it the largest municipality in North America to do so thus far. As plastic bags will soon go the way of the dodo in the city of Toronto, reusable bags will become the carrier of choice for most consumers for their convenience and practicality. However, there are some health issues that shoppers need to think about that they may not have considered.

If you carry your groceries in a reusable bag, the chances are good that some form of food contamination will occur. Raw meats, poultry and fish can leak; fruits and veggies can also leak juices that can then decay. The bags can become a breeding ground for microbes and bacteria of various kinds, including E.coli and salmonella. Bacteria from meat may contaminate fruit, for example, and put you at risk since you won’t cook the fruit before eating it.

The risk of contracting disease from reusable bags is relatively low, however there are simple some safety tips consumers can take to avoid cross contamination of groceries.

Wash reusable bags frequently. If you can’t put them in the washing machine, then do so by hand, using hot soapy water or a mild bleach solution (mix 1tsp/5ml bleach to every 3 cups/750ml of water in a spray bottle, spraying the inside of the bag, then rinsing and air drying). Make sure the bags are thoroughly dried out before you reuse them.

If you notice spills or damp areas, wash the bag immediately and before reusing.

Separate meats, poultry and fish from fresh produce and other foods you will eat without cooking – ideally in separate bags.

Put meats, poultry and fish into small plastic bags before you put them into you reusable bag to avoid spills. The same procedure can protect fresh fruits and veggies from contamination.

If you use your reusable bags for anything other than groceries, wash them before the next trip to the grocery store.

The clear trend all over North America leans towards more environmentally responsible packaging, and retailers who can offer their own reusable bags are appealing to environmentally conscious consumers even as the bags provide increased brand exposure and promotional benefits beyond your store’s walls.

Looking for the best in reusable and paper bags? Contact us today for a pressure-free quote. We can help.

Get to know us: ICEGREEN is one of the largest manufacturers of reusable shopping bags and paper bags around, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more) across North America and beyond. And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.