The key to green shopping? It's Notabag

As disposable plastic carrier bags are pushed kicking and screaming towards extinction, their place is being taken by a new generation of stylish and lightweight reusable bags.

Whether you’re popping to the shops by bike, or travelling further afield, the Notabag is a clever bag and backpack hybrid. Reflective panels help you stand out, but its party trick is quickly transforming from a bag to a cycling friendly backpack with a quick pull on the straps.

The small pouch measures only 13 x 15 cm, but quickly expands to form a backpack measuring 45 x 65 cm.

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Win a Notabag

We have one of these clever backpack / bag hybrids to giveaway.

Leave us a message at the bottom of the page and we'll pick a winner next week.

The end of disposable carrier bags?

The decline of disposable carrier bags in the UK began with the EU directive that urged member states to reduce plastic bag use due to their environmental impact. In response, we introduced a 5p charge on single-use plastic bags in 2015,initially targeting large retailers in England, following earlier efforts in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. This charge reduced plastic bag use by over 80% within a few years. The fee increased to 10p in 2021 and extended to all retailers.

The disposable carrier bag zombie that refuses to die in the UK is the so-called ‘bags for life’. These robust designs sound good in theory, but there’s a good reason French supermarkets no longer sell them.

The primary environmental concern with bags for life is they need to be reused multiple times to justify their environmental cost compared to single-use options - generally between 4 - 10 times to break even with a single-use plastic bag, depending on factors like material type and production methods.

A 2019report by the Environment Agency revealed that many consumers use bags for life only a few times before discarding or replacing them. And retail studies suggest an average reuse rate as low as two or three -  far fewer than necessary to offset their plastic impact.

What better reason to invest in designs like the Notabag?

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover  and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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