Ecoshopper News
Gildan is the World’s Leading Apparel Company.
As a fully vertical manufacturer, Gildan controls every step of the process from raw fibre to finished garments.Modern, state of the art factories feature innovative processes, cutting edge technology and progressive labour practices which translate into Great Products, Great Quality and Great Value.
Environmental Sustainability
Gildan is a world leader in eco-friendly manufacturing. The Oeko – tex Standard 100 certification ensures no harmful chemicals and materials were used in the manufacturing of Gildan garments. Programs to reduce and recycle both natural resources and energy are implemented in all factories. The innovative BIOTOP wastewater treatment system uses microorganisms to eliminate all dyes and chemicals. The resulting water is cleaner than when it first entered the factory. This is the perfect low-impact manufacturing Gildan strives for.
For more information on their Environmental Policy go to www.gildan.com/asiapacific
Cotton Calico Bags are made from 100% cotton are:
*Reusable
*Durable
*Strong
*Can be repaired
*Biodegradable
The Green bags are made from Polyproplene – plastic
*Reusable
*Durable
*Strong
*NOT RECYCLABLE
*NOT BIODEGRADABLE
Sydney Morning Herald
April 25, 2005
Fashion statement, talking point, environmental saviour, pollutant, profit-maker or all of the above?
Margot Saville rifles through the grocery holdall of a nation.
There are at least 10-15 million circulating in Australia – Probably many more.
They come, mostly, in the sort of bright, unnatural green that looks good on no one. Yet two years after their appearance, they are apparently Australia’s favourite accessory.
“Forget the little black dress,” declares a Sunday newspaper.” The hot new item around town is the little green bag.”
A reader writes in reply: “It’s so spacious, and they’re great for the environment, adding spark to any outfit-Go Green!”
One newspaper columnist claims the green bag as a new Australia icon: ”In 2005, we proclaim we are one nation with green bags just as we proclaimed we were one suburb of a nation with Holden cars, Hills hoists and the backyard barbie.”
Then there are the Knockers.
“Australians are being conned,” say a letter writer in The Age newspaper. ”Your environmentally friendly green bags are made of plastic – polypropylene is a fossil fuel- based plastic. The bags are also imported from China. So, plastic, non-renewable, doing nothing for our balance of payments and guess what? You’re paying for the privilege. Supermarkets are laughing all the way to the bank.”
Another reader writes: “I’ve just retired after 30 years in the packaging industry and, frankly, I’m amazed at the constant rave about the ‘environmental’ green bags… Doesn’t anyone realise these bags are made of the same ‘almost indestructible’ materials used in car bumpers and wheelie bins?......
These bags replace the plastic bags, which were in the throes of changing to a safe cornstarch biodegradable form… what happens when these ‘cool’ bags reach their use-by date? Will there be millions of them in circulation?”
Ian Kiernan, chairman of the Clean Up Australia campaign, last year defended the bag in a letter to the Herald. “Each green bag will last an average household about two years, or 104 shops, after which they can be recycled through Coles and Bi-Lo supermarkets,” he said. “Every green bag equals1.2 single –use plastic bags.That’s an estimated 8.3 plastic bags saved every week, or 431 a year.
But it remains to be seen if shoppers will recycle the bags when they start to wear out .Our record has been poor: less than 4 per cent of plastic carry bags are returned to supermarkets for recycling. In the meantime, importers of the green bags expect the booming sales to continue.
Catherine Christie spoke for many of us when she wrote to Adelaide’s The Advertiser newspaper in February: “ Are there any other shoppers who forget on supermarket day to take along their green bags? I have enough green bags to start a recycling shop. ”Even the federal Environmental Minister, Ian Campbell, said last month: “ I think I have bought more of these reusable bags than any person on the planet.”
A CSIRO research scientist, Dr Mike O’Shea, says the green bag’s only environmental credential is that it is not the single-used high-density polyethylene plastic bag still given out in most shops and supermarkets.
The green bags, which are made from non-woven polypropylene, are designed to have a relatively long life but they are not designed to break down in the compost heap, he says.
Polypropylene is a byproduct of oil refining, O’Shea says. Produced during the process is propylene gas, which, when put into a reactor, becomes propylene powder. After stabilisers are mixed with the powder, it is placed in an extruder, which produces propylene pellets, which can then be turned into a range of things including car- bumper bars and food containers. If the pellets are melted, they can be made into a fibre which can then be made into bags.
While environmental groups such Clean Up Australia give support to the green bags, because they can be reused, the debate continues. The Deputy Prime Minister, John Anderson, made headlines in August when he criticised them.
“I don’t know how they are made but you don’t know what goes into making them and how many plastic bags there really are in the world,” he said. “I’m not against it but I’m not sure. “When asked recently if his views had changed, Anderson told the Herald that supports the use of reusable and recyclable bags. His main concern now was whether they were “ made from Australian materials rather than imported”.
Although environmentally aware shoppers have always carried tofu-stained calico bags, the green bag movement gained momentum in 2002 when public concern prompted a government study on a possible plastic bag levy.
Australians were using about 10.5 billion plastic bags each year, including about 6.9 billion retail carry bags. Millions of these bags entered rivers and seas, where they could kill whales, birds, seals and turtles. Plastic bags were also said to add $173 million to our annual grocery bill.