EPIC Sustainable Living Show, Vancouver 2008 – I first stopped by the Bag-To-Nature booth to inquire about how ‘compostable’ their plastics technology was. I soon learned that other municipalities in Canada have a whole different need for such bags.
“We took it for granted that the curbside collection of organics is something everybody in Canada does on a weekly basis.” Says Richard Dance of Indaco Manufacturing (Bag-to-Nature’s parent co).
“80% of the people who visited our booth here in Vancouver first expressed surprise that there are widespread source-separated organic collection programs elsewhere in Canada, especially in evil Toronto. Then disappointment that there no large scale programs available here, and there may not be for years.”
Digging further, I discovered that the bag itself has an impact on the effectiveness and uptake of such regional programs.
“Say Chillawack wants to start a green bin program.” Continues Dance. “They would send out a tender, and one of the cheaper bag manufacturers offers their bags for free. The municipality encourages local retailers to carry these bags. Once the freebies run out, participation drops off dramatically due to people equating all compostable bags as a horrible experience, splitting and spilling stuff all over the floor. It is then very difficult to convince a retailer or resident that our bags are a better solution, not the same old crap.”
So what makes a better bag?
“We are a private Canadian company that blends and extrudes our own proprietary certified compostable plastic film. We do not rely on off shore raw material
which is how we have developed a very strong dependable bag and liner. Once people try Bag-To-Nature they realize how inferior the competition is.”
The Green Marketing Brief: As a marketer, I like the locally-produced angle, which appeals to a ‘shop Canadian’ sentiment while addressing the carbon-costs of shipping from offshore. As well, a You-Tube style video demonstrating their strength advantage in a captivating way could help differentiate their product, and a bit more depth and visual quality on their web site would put them above the perception of their cheaper competitors.
Hopefully, as curbside organics programs grow, the Bag-To-Nature brand will move to take its place atop the compost-heap of Canadian public awareness.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Steve // Jun 17, 2008 at 7:58 am
These bags are the toughest certifed compostable bags I have ever seen. They are available in the United States at most Ace Hardware Stores and some local grocery chains. Please take the challange and fill a Bag-To-Nature with some old tomato juice, fruit waste, stale bread and any other food scraps found around your house. Place the bag in a container or hang it inside your trash recepticle. You will find it uncompromised even after 2 days it won’t leak, tear, or split at the seam. Try this with any other compostable bag but make sure you have something underneath the bag. Some bags will start leaking after only an hour. Nothing will perform like the Bag-To-Nature. If you are committed to organic composting and diverting waste from landfills but you are tired of bags that leak and turn your efforts into a mess, try Bag-To-Nature. Indaco Manufacturing also makes an excellent alterative to the shopping bag problem here in the United States. They have produced a grocery T-Shirt shopping bag from thier Bag-To-Nature resin that is unmatched in strength and durablility. It is stronger than a regular plastic shopping bag yet it is 100% compostable. If you would like to try these bags in the United States please contact me at steveRfriese@aol.com
2 Ashley // Aug 7, 2009 at 11:41 am
These bags are amazing! They do not leak…I have tried other bags, and none even remotely compair! I am totally hooked, I recommend them to every one who composts and takes composting seriously.
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