Paper Bag Day (also known as World Paper Bag Day) occurs on July 12 each year and celebrates the humble paper bag, which does so much more than carrying our groceries. Today, millions of people choose to switch to paper bags for carrying their shopping, as the widespread use of plastic and its harmful effects on the environment at large, raises alarm bells in our collective consciousness. So how do paper bags aid us in the fight against environmental pollution and climate change? Firstly, paper is biodegradable, which immediately makes it a preferable alternative to plastic, which isn’t. Paper bags are also made of renewable raw materials, which encourage a sustainable lifestyle, as they can be recycled. This gives our environment a bit of a break too. Surprisingly, paper bags can be quite durable, too (except when soggy), and they now have a more upmarket aesthetic appeal thanks to high-end brands popularizing minimal and sustainable packaging. So really, what isn’t to love about paper bags!
Though it is unclear who officiated Paper Bag Day, we can surmise that it must have been founded in order to raise awareness about important environmental issues like climate change and to promote a more sustainable lifestyle by introducing paper bags as alternatives to plastic bags.
What we do know is the history of the paper bag itself, which can be traced back to American school teacher-turned-priest-turned-inventor Francis Wolle. In 1852, he invented and patented the first paper-bag-making machine, after which he and his brother founded the Union Bag and Paper Company. They opened a paper plant in Savannah, Georgia, which employed 500 people and became a bit of a tourist attraction, as people would come by to see ‘1,000 feet of paper flying by per minute.’ The plant is still there to this day.
In 1871, Margaret E. Knight decided to refine Wolle’s design by inventing a machine that would produce paper bags with flat boxy bottoms. This improvement earned her the title of ‘mother of the grocery bag,’ as it was the key template for the foldable paper bags we use today. In 1883, Charles Stillwell tweaked Knight’s design further, adding pleated sides to the paper bag in order to make it easier to carry, fold, and store. He invented the machine to produce this design and then, in 1912, Walter Deubener added a cord to reinforce the paper bags and handles for ease of carrying. Thus the final product, which is the paper bag of today, is clearly a combined effort of all these inventors. So we have many to thank!
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