Text: Yuya Yokoyama

When did eco-bags become widespread?

In 1950s Japan, furoshiki wrapping cloths and shopping baskets were used instead of plastic bags. For simple purchases, people would sometimes tie items with string and carry them home. It was an era when people brought their own pots to the tofu shop to buy tofu.

During the high economic growth period of the 1970s, plastic bags made from polyethylene derived from crude oil became widespread. They were durable and inexpensive. Furthermore, the rapid increase in supermarkets during the same period led to the explosive growth and massive use of plastic shopping bags. While the spread of plastic bags enhanced shopping convenience, it also resulted in a surge of improperly disposed plastic waste, such as littering, ultimately contributing to marine pollution. Because plastic waste is difficult to biodegrade, it was sometimes illegally dumped into the sea. Plastic that flows into the ocean is exposed to ultraviolet rays and eventually breaks down into “microplastics” (tiny plastic particles). While plastic smaller than 5mm is defined as microplastic, it also seems to include plastic smaller than 1mm, visible only under a microscope. Marine life ingests this microplastic, causing damage to many marine organisms through the food chain. Needless to say, it also adversely affects human health. As these environmental issues gained attention, Japan finally began implementing measures like charging for plastic bags and reducing their use.

While the negative impact on the environment and wildlife is problematic, I also believe the proliferation of plastic bags accelerated Japan's “disposable culture,” potentially contributing to the erosion of values that cherish possessions. Perhaps items were more carefully valued in the era before plastic bags.

Eco-bags first appeared in Japan in the 1990s. It took considerable time for them to become familiar in Japan after their introduction. Starting in 2020, when the charge for plastic bags was implemented, eco-bags finally began to take root. In fact, data shows that the rate of declining plastic bags before the charge was about 57%, while after the charge, it rose to about 80%. This plastic bag charge significantly boosted the usage rate of eco-bags.

Actually, this eco-bag has its roots in Germany. In Germany, the eco-bag culture began as early as around 1970. Unlike in Japan, many stores did not provide shopping bags for free and charged for them, meaning you couldn't shop at all without bringing your own eco-bag. Perhaps as a remnant of this, the usage rate of eco-bags within Germany remains extremely high even today. Furthermore, the annual consumption of plastic shopping bags has reportedly been reduced by over 90% since the 2000s.

Germany is renowned as an environmental leader, ranking 4th in the SDG achievement rankings. Furthermore, according to an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) survey, its recycling rate for goods stands at 65%, the highest in the world. The reason for this high ranking is simply that a large number of its citizens possess a “high level of environmental awareness.”

Why does each citizen possess such strong environmental awareness? While historical factors exist, such as severe environmental pollution becoming a critical societal issue in Germany during the 1970s, it is primarily due to the thorough implementation of “environmental education.”

 In Japan, while the value of “mottainai” (waste not, want not) remains deeply ingrained, the aforementioned “disposable culture” has also become firmly established. Most Japanese people use eco-bags because they feel it's a waste to pay for plastic shopping bags, and it seems only a handful genuinely decline plastic bags out of environmental concern. I can't help but feel there's a difference in environmental awareness between Japanese and Germans.

Throwing things away after each use undeniably burdens the environment. We must move beyond the era of mass production and mass consumption, evolving toward an era where the circular economy takes center stage. Start with what you can do. That's right—let's use eco-bags.