It’s Paper Bag Day!
That’s right. You heard me. It’s paper bag day! Let’s talk bags. July 12th each year celebrates the humble paper bag. It really doesn’t do much more than carry our groceries. Today, millions of people have chosen to switch to paper bags (or personal cloth bags) for carrying their shopping because of the harmful effects of plastic on the environment.
How did Paper Bag Day Start?
It’s unclear how Paper Bag Day started. But, did it start just to raise awareness about environmental issues like climate change? Or, to promote a more sustainable lifestyle, by making paper (and cloth) bags an alternative to plastic?
Our Environment
You might ask, just how do paper bags help to fight against environmental pollution and climate change? Firstly, paper is biodegradable. Immediately making it a better alternative to plastic. Paper can be recycled and so it will help to encourage a sustainable lifestyle. Lastly, paper bags can be quite durable, except on a rainy day, where they can get a bit soggy. So really, what is NOT to love about paper bags!
The History
Let’s talk bag history. It can be traced back to an American school teacher-turned-priest-turned-inventor, Francis Wolle. He invented and patented the first paper-bag-making machine in 1852. Francis and his brother then founded the Union Bag Machine Company in Savannah, Georgia in 1869, employing 500 people. The plant is still there today and is known as the Union Camp Corporation.
A Woman’s Design
Margaret E. Knight decided to refine Wolle’s design in 1871, by inventing a machine that produced paper bags with a flat boxy bottom, an improvement over Wolle’s envelop style bag. This design earned her the title of the ‘mother of the grocery bag’.
Still More Improvements
In 1883, Charles Stillwell tweaked Knight’s design even further by adding sides to the paper bag. This designed help to fold and store them easily. Finally, in 1883 Walter Deubener added a cord to reinforce paper bags and handles, to more easily carry them.
The final product is the paper bag we use today. It is clearly a combined effort of all of these inventors. And now all I have to say is ‘It’s in the bag.’
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