You know that saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions"? That applies to the journey of inventions too. Think of leaded gas in the early 20th century. It was used to reduce engine knocking, boost octane ratings, and reduce wear and tear on motors. Now it’s banned worldwide due to terrible health risks and air pollution. Or Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide originally developed to speed the growth of soybeans and lengthen their growing season. It was eventually used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam war to decimate forest cover and crops. Ultimately, it led to death and disability for countless Vietnamese people.
And then came the plastic bag.
Believe it or not, Sten Gustaf Thulin, a Swedish engineer, developed the plastic bag in 1959 in a bid to help the environment. At the time, he wanted to produce an alternative to paper bags which were considered bad for the environment. Deforestation was the problem he wanted to solve.
Unfortunately, we all know how that played out: the proliferation of single-use plastic bags exploded and now threatens ecosystem health across the globe.
This truth would have probably disappointed and disgusted Sten. He patented his plastic “t-shirt” bag to be stronger than paper so that it could be reused over and over again.
According to his son, Raoul Thulin, to his dad “the idea that people would simply throw [plastic bags] away would be bizarre. He always carried one in his pocket folded up. What we’re all being encouraged to do today—which is to take your bags back to the shop—, he was doing back in the 70s and 80s, just naturally, because, well, why wouldn’t you?”
As more and more countries make moves to ban plastic bags, people are making the move towards reusable tote bags.
IMHO, there is no better option than etee’s recently released ORGANIC WAXED CANVAS TOTE BAGS!
