A Luxurious and sustainable solution

There was a time not that long ago when the only choice for a carrier bag with rope handles was to use either cotton or polyester cord. Neither materials could be recycled with paper carrier bags as they would potentially contaminate the recycling chain.

It was a big problem. Luxury bags could never be recycled unless the handles could be removed which (from an economic point of view) wasn’t sustainable.

The only eco-friendly alternative was to use a paper carrier bag with twisted paper (see pic below) which for most luxury brands, was not an option since these bags are not luxury enough.

Zara carrier bag made using twisted paper handles

Then in the last 5 years, a number of factories in China found a solution by weaving thin paper strands (around 1mm diameter) into a cord or braid creating a 100% recyclable paper rope or ribbon sourced from sustainable sources.

The woven paper cord could be used not only in carrier bags but also in boxes and any other types of packaging.

The benefits meant that;

The packaging design could be 100% recyclable with paper products
The packaging design could be certified as being sustainably sourced by an independent body
The packaging design could be 100% plastic free
The woven material still provides a luxury alternative to cotton or polyester, without feeling cheap like a twisted paper handle.

Concerns about the strength of the material were quickly dismissed when Apple decided to us the material in their luxury carrier bags (below).

Now more and more major brands are choosing this material to be as sustainable as possible and remove as much plastic as possible.

Apple Carrier Bag - Handles are made from woven paper

There are some drawbacks to the material.

Unlike cotton or polyester materials where colours can be easily dyed to custom PMS colours in a range of different widths and diameters, the range of woven paper is limited to around 80 colours.

Some colours don’t appear as vivid as some brands would like - Especially white which appears slightly off white or black which is more of a very dark grey.

There are no metallic colours such as gold, silver or bronze.

We also wouldn’t recommend the woven paper as an alternative to gifting ribbon since it is fairly stiff and “scratchy” - Its great as a puller for a box or an insert because of this.

Finally currently costs are higher than using a nylon or cotton although we expect the costs to decrease over time as the industry scales to keep up with the demand.

Paper cord that is woven into rope or ribbon (below)

Despite these drawbacks, woven papers clearly have a bright future especially as many Governments are cracking down on the use of plastics in plastics.

The Korean government and Hong Kong Government have both imposed a significant tax on bags containing any plastics so brands are switching to this material which will only drive innovation and development into the industry.

At least 50% of our productions are now including this material;