Most tote bags on the market aren’t good for the environment, but ours are! This is because Tom’s Totes are biodegradable and made of 100% recycled materials, and help to reduce plastic waste as a result.
That being said, it does take more energy to produce a cotton tote bag than a plastic bag. This isn't necessarily a bad thing: it just means the questions becomes whether your priority is to minimise the amount of energy you use, or to help decrease the amount of plastic waste produced.
Our priority here at Tom's Totes is to encourage people to stop using plastic due to the devastating effect it has on the natural environment.
For this reason, amongst others, Tom’s Totes are not like other totes brand on the market.
Tom's Totes Are Made Of 100% Recycled Materials
Our biodegradable tote bags are made completely of recycled materials and organic cotton.
Although many cotton tote bags are recycled, their logos and messages on the bags are not recyclable and have to be cut out of the cloth. This wastes an estimated 10-15% of cotton received by a single recycling firm. As our totes are made of 100% recycled materials, they do not have this issue.
Tom's Totes Reduce Plastic Waste
It’s estimated that nearly 8 million pieces of plastic enter oceans every day - shocking right?
Plastic bags start out as fossil fuels and end up as deadly waste in landfills and the ocean. For hungry sea turtles, it's nearly impossible to distinguish between jellyfish and floating plastic shopping bags. Birds often mistake shredded plastic bags for food, filling their stomachs with toxic debris. Fish eat thousands of tons of plastic a year, and it’s expected that there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.
One of the most impactful steps we can take as individuals is to reduce our use of single plastics and substitute disposable bags with reusable cotton tote bags.
Tom's Totes Are Biodegradable
Although a cotton tote bag uses more energy to produce than a plastic bag, the significant benefit comes in the biodegradability of cotton tote bags.
Not only are our tote bags made of 100% recycled materials, but they can also be recycled again.
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We are Tom's Totes. Our mission is to make plastic bags completely out of fashion, and to make sustainable lifestyle choices stylish. Support independent artists and join our mission to ditch plastic with our collection of biodegradable tote bags, prints/postcards and paint kits online.
Written by Kate, for Tom's Totes.