Classic packaging. The 'Supermarket Carrier Bag'.

The modern supermarket has changed the way in which we shop. These supermarkets had to develop stronger and bigger carrier bags in order to cope with the public demand. The type of bag provided at most supermarkets is called the vest carrier.

The first vest carrier was produced at Moore and Co.in Nottingham but it was Alida Packaging in Derbyshire, who had the vision to mass produce the bags for the supermarkets.

The design of the carrier has hardly changed over the last twenty years but the materials used to make the carriers have. There is a concern that the plastics used are not biodegradable (they are not able to decompose) and when a bag reaches the end of its life it is buried in land filled sites along with millions of others.

The plastic may enter and pollute our drinking water. More recently pressure from environmental agencies have brought about the 'Bag for Life' (BFL). The idea is that a BFL is sold only once. The customer reuses the bag until it eventually breaks.

 

The image below shows the vast bag.