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So about those cotton tote bags. Own one? Many of you do -- cuz I gave 'em to ya! Tell me this: Is your cotton tote bag 1) organic and 2) made in the US?
Because according newest companies selling tote bags made in the US, getting organic cotton isn't cheap. Want both US-made AND organic? Then get ready to pay $40+, they say. Want a bag for under $20? Then you gotta pick between US-made OR organic, not both, according to them.
The bag companies I've been hearing from, however, are making more design-and-longetivity oriented stylish bags, not just the basic tote.
Take Savior Bags (meaning "save your bags"; above left), for example. This company makes what they call the "most durable natural product" possible -- a roomy cotton tote (with what feel like synthetic handles and metal rings) designed to hold its bucket shape without collapsing. Cost: $19.95. According to the owners, an organic version would cost $45 -- a price point they don't think the US market will bear.
Pretty Green (right) says the same thing. This local, Sherman Oaks-based husband-and-wife team company created cute, durable bags with water resistant lining and cushioned handles, made locally and fairly right in L.A. Cost $15, with 1% of sales going to Water Partners International. The owners say that an organic cotton version would cost $40 a bag -- but still plan to have an organic bag out by this summer.
Mind you -- we're not even talking about US grown and milled cotton. We're simply talking about US sewn / assembled. Pretty Green says its lining is made with US-grown cotton, but doesn't think its outside fabric is. I'm not certain of the details of Savior Bags' cotton, but my guess is that the stuff wasn't grown and milled in the US.
I want to point out, though, that you CAN get a no frills, organic cotton tote made in the US for just $9.99 at Amoeba Music. It's a nice, sturdy bag, though perhaps a bit plain jane. Part of the reason why the bags I'm talking 'bout here are more expensive is because Savior Bags are designed for maximum durability, while Pretty Green bags are more stylish than the regular grocery tote.
Still, I wonder why these tote bag companies think $20's the max the US market can handle for stylish totes, when American Apparel's selling conventional cotton tote bags at $34 a pop.
I'm not saying any of these companies are "bad" or are greenwashing. I'm just trying to sort out some of these ideas. Let's keep in mind that Anya Hindmarch’s "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" totes -- which were neither organic nor fair trade -- sold like hotcakes at $10 a pop.
And it's not as if non-US-made, non-organic totes are much cheaper. Take EarthTotes (right), for example. Started by two SoCal moms, this company's totes are made with conventional cotton AND made in China -- albeit by a company that is part of the International Labor Organization. Cost for "The Jumbo Tote" that's about the same size as, but not as sturdy as, the Savior Bags: $14.
Lots of eco-initiatives and orgs still have no qualms just buying the cheapest tote bags possible for distribution (especially if it's for free distribution). Most of the free totes given away at L.A.-area eco-events are synthetic, petroleum based crap. Even the City of L.A.'s Zero Waste Plan people opted for conventional cotton bags made in China.
And of course, I get lots more tote bag emails from companies touting their new "eco-friendly" tote bags. I'll ask how their bags are eco, and they'll reply they're eco cuz they're reusable. Nevermind the pound of chemical pesticides that goes into growing the cotton for every conventional cotton tote bag and the many labor and trade issues that arise both from taking advantage of cheap international labor to NOT supporting our more local economies. Those concerns are not so important, they say. At least we're moving in the right direction. We're reusable and that means we're eco, they say.
Some will go so far as to say that to get Americans to reuse, we need to make reusable bags as cheaply as possible (I often get the same argument
