customgreenpromos.com Blog

BAG BUSINESS: Green entrepreneurs retool humble grocery sack

Stephanie Ashworth and Kerri Stenson just started their company this year, but already their business is in the bag.

Literally.

The Woodside women have launched a business making collapsible, reusable grocery bags that can be stashed in the cup holder of a car. They are among a number of entrepreneurs who hope to capitalize on Americans’ increasing disaffection with the disposable plastic grocery sack.

In the wake of San Francisco’s recent ban on plastic grocery bags, other jurisdictions from Los Angeles to New Jersey are considering restrictions on the use of plastic bags. And since last summer, California law has required all large supermarkets to offer reusable bags for sale.

Meanwhile, worries about climate change and marine pollution are leading more individual consumers throughout the country to answer “none of the above” when faced with the cliched choice of “Paper or plastic?”

“The market has absolutely exploded,” said Michael Wold, founder of Customgreenpromos.com, an online store that has sold a wide selection of grocery totes. “If you asked me two years ago, there were dozens of reusable bags. Now there are a hundred or more.”

Environmentalists have urged consumers to bring their own bags to the supermarket for years. But until recently, few people responded.

Those who did had limited choices – things like beach bags, hippie-looking hemp bags, or an individual’s motley collection of canvas totes accumulated through years of trade show giveaways and public radio membership drives.

But that has started to change.

Wold launched his Web business – which sells eco friendly bags and many other eco friendly promotional products.

“I wanted to get away from the tattered, really old tote bag with an in-your-face eco-message,” he said.

Others had the same idea, including a Chico software programmer named Andy Keller who two years ago started making nylon grocery bags that collapse into their own attached pouch. Keller’s venture grew out of a trip he took to his local garbage dump, shortly after being laid off from his software job.

“I got there at the end of the day, when there was an entire day’s worth of trash uncovered and exposed,” said Keller, who named his company ChicoBag. “It was huge. It took my breath away. And there were plastic bags everywhere, with birds pecking at them, or caught on the fences. I made a commitment to myself to adopt a healthier reusable bag habit. And then came the business side, when I thought, ‘I can make a business out of this.’ ”

Keller’s ChicoBags sell for about $5. Some other local bag manufacturers have a higher price point: San Franciscan Ania Moniuszko runs an online business called My Own Bag that sells grocery bags made out of interior-design fabrics for $40 to $58 each.

Ashworth and Stenson, the Woodside women who recently launched the reusable bags that fit in a cup holder, fall somewhere in the middle. Under the brand name Olive Smart, they’re selling a set of six colorful nylon bags that stuff into a pouch for $39.

Ashworth and Stenson met at their children’s playground and discovered a shared interest in starting some kind of environmentally focused business. They brainstormed about how to make it easier for people to use reusable bags.

“You always hear people in the checkout line say, ‘Oh, I left my bag in the car,’ ” Ainsworth said. “Well, what if the bags were in your face, like in the cup holder of your car? And you’d need enough bags. I have three kids, and Kerri has two. We don’t go to the store with one cute little tote.”

While companies like Custom Green Promos, ChicoBag, My Own Bag and Olive Smart have clearly identified a growing niche market, it remains unclear which of them, if any, will ultimately ride that market to success.

Wold points out that it’s not hard to get into the grocery bag business, so there’s the potential for large numbers of competitors.

“All you have to do is create a basic design, send it over to China (for production), spend $10,000 to $20,000, and you’ve got 5,000 to 10,000 bags,” he said. “The barriers to entry are almost nonexistent, while the level of sophistication of the market is rapidly advancing. So you’ve got to have a really good product that stands out and is different.”

Meanwhile, all the major supermarkets have started manufacturing and selling reusable bags with their own logos – using cheaper materials such as polypropylene and charging lower prices. Safeway, for instance, sells totes with its logo for 99 cents.

It will be challenging for small independent manufacturers to compete with those prices.

“Most supermarkets are selling them at cost or slightly below, since they view it as a marketing expense,” Wold said.

Village Market is a family-run supermarket in the upscale, environmentally conscious neighborhood of Rockridge in Oakland. Its experience with reusable bags could be a sign of things to come – at least in liberal enclaves like the Bay Area.

by Sandra Sims

When shoppers bring in their own reusable grocery bags to carry their items home in, it reduces the number of non-biodegradable plastic bags. Personally I have been wanting to get some reusable bags for some time now. I am tired of the plastic and paper bags cluttering up my garage and polluting our community (and our world in general). So when my local grocery store started offering these bright green reusable shopping bags for just 99 cents each I was delighted.

These bags are very durable, flat bottomed and can hold as much as much as 3 times what a plastic sack would. Now these bags in particular were not being sold as a fundraiser, just as a promotion for the store. In fact the grocery store offers 5 cents off when you bring them in. Not much, but it’s a nice touch.

Til now I have held off reviewing or promoting reusable bags as a fundraiser, even though there are several companies out there providing them. I believe I’ve finally found a great recommendation for you, and here’s why:

First I like to see a company who is selling a product not just make a buck but because of a driving principle. Custom Green Promos Inc. out of Cleveland,Oh impresses me as being very committed to reducing pollution. Their website http://www.customgreenpromos.com/ is professional and educational with statistics about plastic bag use and what impact green bags could have. According to them, an average person will take their shopping home in 250 plastic bags per year!

Fundraising with Reusable Grocery Bags

First to use these as a fundraiser the bags need to have attractive pricing, both the wholesale cost for the non-profit agency and a good price for the consumer. I’ve seen bags from other companies that have suggested retail of $10-20 which even for a fundraiser is a bit pricey. This high pricing will be a turn-off for some people.

A product sales fundraiser has to be something that people really want and need. The general public is becoming more and more interested in actions that will help preserve our earth. Using these bags instead of plastic or paper bags that will end up in a landfill is one of the easiest ways to do something. Retailers also have an incentive to promote these bags. If customers bring their own bags the stores save thousands of dollars per year in costs.

I talked with a customer service representative at Custom Green Promos Inc., and they said that they have sold the bags to several charities as a fundraiser. They will sell them in bulk to your group at a very affordable cost. This might not sound like a lot raised per bag but this way more people can purchase them and can get several of them. Most families will need at least 2-6 bags if they plan on using them at the grocery store.

This would be a great way for a retailer and large organization, such as a school, to partner for mutual benefit. For example, by using school colors and logo it’s a spirit item. If the store and/or other retailers put their logo on them its a publicity item. It could be a co-branded promotion where both the store and the charity logos are on the bags. The minimum order for custom imprints is 100 but they also have stock bags for those needing lower quantities without a logo.

As I mentioned each bag will only bring in a dollar or two, so you will need to set a goal for the number of bags you want to sell in order to meet a fundraising goal. Keep in mind that in addition to the funds raised you are raising awareness about your cause and providing a way for people to do something good for the environment.

The biggest drawback I can see with this project is the potential competition. Just today I was running errands and saw reusable bags on sale at two other stores in addition to the grocery where I bought mine. They were also selling for $1-2. The difference I can see though is that those stores are not actively promoting them like the grocery store was. Of course they were also not benefiting any charity.

If your organization got behind this as a big campaign then you could be quite successful with it. Just be sure to be the first and/or biggest group in your area doing this program. If several organizations and stores can partner together it would boost your chance of success.

“Reusable Bags, now there’s an idea that won’t catch on”, might have been the thinking a few years ago or so. Yet now the world is in economic and environmental meltdown, most major stores are now offering reusable shopping bags to their customers. As the environmental issues have gained momentum and the problem of huge waste resulting from millions ( UK consumers in the year 2000 used more than 17 million plastic carrier bags ) of plastic bags that are not biodegradable and harmful to the planet, being given away with almost every purchase and then simply discarded, the need for change was inevitable. What are the benefits of having a reusable bag? Well there are many but for example if the bag is a printed cotton bag, then they can be sturdier than your common plastic bag, with less worry about it breaking when carrying something heavier. Then there are the huge commercial benefits with company branding designs placed conveniently on the bag wherever the retailer desires and you have yourself some of the most affordable advertising available. Billboard and sign advertising is very costly and often businesses can’t afford to pay for that level of exposure. If then businesses either give their new reusable grocery bags away with purchases or charge a small fee for them, the benefits are obvious. Lots of happy shoppers walking up and down the town centre with your logo emblazoned all over their bags, reaching places billboards can never reach. This evidence alone should convince environmentally minded retailers and consumers that the transfer to reusable bags is both a healthy one and a potentially profitable one, as apparently the production and cost of these reusable bags is very economical. In July 2005 the Scottish Parliament introduced a bill calling for the levy on plastic bags. The environmental committee of the Scottish Parliament said, “In practice, the Bill would require all retailers to charge customers 10p for every plastic bag they were supplied with. The Bill aims to protect the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags in circulation, raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage consumers to use alternatives.” In the long term reusable bags will cost less per bag than the proposals planned for in store plastic bags. Common sense tells us that this can surely be the only way forward with regards to this issue and there are numerous websites that specialise in printing and producing these reusable bags, many of them offering a huge selection of styles, colours and designs.

There are many types of reusable bags in the world today and each one has many uses and purposes to them. It is our responsibility as a supplier to educate companies and consumers on the types of green bags and the many uses that they provide. Reusable grocery bags are an amazing product to use when you go the grocery store. The use of them reduces waste, litter, pollution, and ultimately provides us with a safe and cleaner place to live. Reusable shopping bags can be taken with you to the shopping mall or any retail outlet to help carry the products you buy. They are also great for the environment and reduce waste. Eco friendly bags are an all around great idea. Aside from taking them to the supermarket or shopping, you can also use them as a great giveaway for your company. They make for an exceptional marketing vehicle and allow you to market your companies brand or logo effectively. It’s important for everyone to be educated on the many uses of these products and hopefully this little bit of information will go a long way in the decisions you make regarding the environment, they way you shop, the way your market your company’s products, and more.

Reusable bags are great for the planet in so many ways. They are much better for the environment in terms of their manufacturing process compared to plastic bags. The fact that you reuse them makes there less litter to deal with, and ultimately less pollution. Green bags allow for people to leave less of a footprint on the planet that we inhabit. Eco friendly bags are not only great for the environment and the planet, but they are great for companies across the globe for a number of reasons. They make for a great marketing vehicle for companies to use at a tradeshow, conference, or seminar. Their stylish look, environmentally friendly purpose, and affordability make them very attractive to companies to use from an advertising standpoint. Reusable shopping bags are not only great for the earth from an environmental perspective or for business, but they are great for consumers to use when shopping at the market, grocery store, or nearest retail outlet. Reusable grocery bags are innovative, practical, and downright intelligent.

Green bags are a hot commodity. They’re very stylish, practical, affordable, and last but not least, they are great for the environment. Green bags can be used for many great reasons such as an amazing giveaway at a tradeshow. Maybe you are a retail store owner and are looking for a new product that will come featured with your company’s logo on it. Green bags will do just the trick. It’s time to say no to pollution and take a stand against the ever growing problem of litter. Have an immediate impact on the earth that we inhabit and reduce your footprint now. Being a part of the solution is a lot better than being part of the problem. You will feel empowered when you do something that is great for the planet. The time is now to do something important for your friends, family, and loved ones. Take a stand and join the green movement with the use of reusable bags.

Green bags, also known as eco bags, are empowering, practical, and just plain smart. They are great for the ecosystem and an amazing solution to some of the problems the world faces today. One of these issues is pollution. The reason eco bags are so effective is because they are reusable and reduce waste. This world would be a much happier and cleaner place if we all took the approach of using these products in our everyday lives. It’s easy to do and very affordable. This is why it is possible for everyone to make eco bags a very important part of their everyday lives. You will feel great about yourself when you do something that is good for the environment. It is a very rewarding feeling to do something that will better society in general. You can be part of the solution right now by doing your part in this movement of incorporating these products into the way you live. Now is the time to make a change. It is a responsibility of everyone to do things that are beneficial to the environment including the use of eco bags.

Reusable bags are an environmentally sound way to protect the planet we live on. Green Bags can be great looking, stylish, affordable, and just about anything you want them to be. You can bring them to the mall, to the market, or to the gym. They come in many different styles, designs, and colors. Reusable bags are great for many events and occasions. Whether you are going shopping at the market or your nearest retail outlet, or your company has an important tradeshow and in need of an amazing giveaway, your green bags will turn heads and make you the center of attention. It’s this type of attention that will give your company brand the recognition that you deserve. You will immediately be recognized as a business that keeps the safety of the planet in mind along with the know how to run an intelligent marketing campaign. This is all made happen by using these truly unique and special green bags.

Custom Green Promos is a major manufacture and producer of reusable bags. Earth Day is coming and temperatures continue to rise. The economy’s struggles are continuing, and we all need to do our part to preserve the environment. If you are looking for a really unique and eco friendly promotional item for your company, our green bags are just what you are looking for. They make for a great giveaway or just for any other reason that has to do with going green.

Does your retail outlet need a great idea to promote your company brand? Give us a call and allow us to customize reusable bags for you. They make a great marketing tool when you are trying to get your company’s name out to the public. Our green bags are stylish, affordable, and practical. They are not only unique, but when a customer is walking around town with one of them with your logo imprinted on the side, it sends an important message. It lets the world know that your business cares about preserving the eco system and that your company is ethical and honest. You will show the public that your main priority is doing something that cares for the environment. The next time your business is thinking of running a promotional giveaway, you should consider us for your green bags and reusable bags.