Bag FAQs - Questions & Answers about Eco Bags

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Eco Bags

• I would love one of your bags but unfortunately would have no use for 100 of them - are you planning to sell individual items at any point?

   We have launched a new website called Doodle Bag which allows you to design your own bag and we print it. No minimum order.

  http://www.doodle-bag.com

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• how many colours do you advise we use

  This depends on your design.  You can get your message across on an eco-bag with just a simple, bold 1 colour print.  We would screen print such an image.  We can print an infinite number of colours with two other print methods: digital and litho.  So really the choice is yours!  If you email a copy of your artwork when you email a quote using our Quote Request Form then we will advise you of the best print option and most cost effective method to print your bag.

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• How long does it take to make a 40z cotton bag?

  We have off the shelf stock of several styles of 4oz Cotton Bags and so our lead time for a printed bag is just 10 days.  We can expediate orders as required and for an additional cost.  If you would like a bespoke bag made then the production time is 6 weeks and transportation by sea freight is another 4-6 weeks.

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• what does the house designer do and how much does he cost?

  Our in-house designer prepares an Artwork Approval Form so that you get to see and sign off an image of your design on a bag template, once you've placed an order and before we go to print.  There is no charge for this service.  We can design your bag image from scratch and can also amend and prepare your design to be print ready.  We charge £60 per hour for such design work, in 15 minute blocks.

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• As your minimum order is 100 pieces, do the bag have to be the same, or can the 100 pieces be a mix of colour and print?

  An order can be split across several bag styles at no extra cost if the artwork is exactly the same.  If you would like a digital print then we can reduce our print minimum to just 50pcs per design with a total minimum order quantity of 100 pcs.

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• which bag is most popular

  Our most popular bag style is the Long Handle 4oz Natural Cotton Eco-Bag.  It's the most cost-effective option whilst also being a versatile bag and is especially popular with young people.  We carry stocks of the Long Handle Cotton Eco-Bag in Natural (unbleached and undyed) and well as in white and black.  We can also supply this bag in about 13 colours on our Express Service (10 days)

   

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• Hi, Do you have a minimum order? Regards, TM Peterson

  Our minimum print run at our Eco-Print Factory in the UK is just 100 pieces.  We can deliver within 10 working days.  We can also print and make bespoke bags at one of the fair trade factories we work with in India and the minimum for this service is 500 pieces.

   We have launched a new website called Doodle Bag which allows you to design your own bag and we print it. No minimum order.

  http://www.doodle-bag.com

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• Are your cloth bags the same as bags for life?
  

  "Bags for Life" is a terms that's become associated with eco-bags but many of them are of little benefit to the environment and some actually are very destructive.
  
   
  Often "Bags for Life" are heavy duty plastic bags, which are fully printed.  Because they're reusable, or simply dyed green, supermarkets label them as eco-friendly but the opposite it true as the manufacturing process is very environmentally damaging.   As such, they're no more eco-friendly then your handbag!
   
  The same can be said of paper bags.  The carbon footprint of paper bags is very high and because their life span is so short, they're probably less environmentally friendly than plastic!
   
  This is why Bag It Don't Bin It only makes cloth bags from sustainable materials such as cotton or jute.  We print with ISO 14001 eco-friendly inks.  The manufacturing process therefore has little impact on the environment and the bags have a lifespan of 6 months to a year.  To get an expert's opinion on "Bags for Life" read Tony Juniper's Greenhouse comment in The Sunday Times.
  
  
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• How eco-friendly are the inks you use to print onto the bags?
  

  Most of our bags are screen printed by hand, using ISO 14001 Environmental Standard inks.  These are the most eco-friendly printing inks in the world and have a minimal impact on the environment, particularly as our
  [http://www.bagitdontbinit.com/our-bag-company.html] skilled  Master Printers print by hand.
  
  We can also print digitally or use the lithographic process to replicate your design if your artwork is photographic.  These are not as eco-friendly as screen printed bags but as we are working towards BS8555 Environmental Management Systems Mark, we ensure that all our production processes have
  the minimal impact on the environment.  Over 90% of our waste is recycled.
  
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• What is the ecological advantage of a cloth bag over a plastic one?
  

  The average shopper uses 342 plastic bags a year and is responsible for 25.14kg of CO 2, whereas a shopper using a single, reusable cotton bag over the same time is responsible for just 0.62kg. 

   

   The manufacturing process of plastic bags is ecologically damaging, unlike cotton or jute, which are made from sustainable crops, grown under rain-fed conditions and are unbleached and undyed, so minimising the environmental impact.

  The oil-based inks used on plastic and some cloth bags are a further environmental liability.  Unlike most or our competitors, Bag It Don’t Bin It uses ISO 14001 eco-friendly inks. We are also implementing an Environemental Management System to British Standard BS8555.

   

  After use, plastic bags get discarded and can enter rivers and the sea, where they kill our marine and bird life.  A branded, natural cloth bag will degrade naturally to dust and in doing so, will help to save our planet.

   

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