Eco-friendly chapter opens for book bags
Twenty paper and canvas book bags have been selected from 60 bags from 17 bookshops or bookstore chains as examples of eco-friendly packaging after rules took effect in Shanghai in October asking bookstores to change from plastic bags to recyclable ones.
Five paper bags and 15 canvas ones from stores such as Xinhua Bookstore, Zhongshuge, Sinan Books, The Mix Place and Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore are winners. These bags will be models for all local bookstores to design and make their own.
The selection, along with a display of 60 candidates, was organized by the city's publishing industry association at the Shanghai Foreign Language Bookstore. Factors such as the material, design and size were taken into consideration as well as their durability and eco-friendliness.
A few new types of environmentally friendly bags were also showcased on the day, including two polyester bags from Duoyun Books each made from four plastic bottles.
Gu Bin, general manager of Shanghai Book Traders, owners of the foreign language bookstore, said the company started to replace plastic bags with paper and canvas bags about three years ago.
"In the past three years, these bags are accepted by our readers and almost none of them complain about why free plastic bags cannot be provided," said Gu. "Through these specially designed bags, our bookstore can also promote our own features. For instance, this year is the bookstore's 70th anniversary and we began designing bags in celebration at the end of last year. A sketch of our building on the bag was drawn freehand by an employee."
Wang Yaohua, deputy head of the publishing industry association, said it hoped the bags would not only be used for carrying books.
Book bags are carefully examined for their eco-friendly credentials.
Factors such as the material, design and size were taken into consideration as well as the bags' durability and eco-friendliness.
