When Anya Hindmarch’s I’m Not A Plastic Bag at RM55 was launched in KLCC Isetan recently, it was sold out in 1 hour!

The bag has reached phenomenon publicity in the fashion world when celebrities carry it shopping and the environment groups applaud such bag by a designer. The bag is limited and people had been snapping it up to sell it online or show it off.

BBC News Magazine – It’s in the bag, darling

The UK bag was originally priced at £5.

This price meant that Anya Hindmarch and all launch partners have not been covering their costs. Despite this, we were all prepared to do it as we felt that we were doing ‘our bit’ to help to raise awareness of reusable shopping bags.

However, in order to launch the bag more widely & internationally, we had to make it cover it’s costs & ensure that no party loses money. The price for the next launches therefore, will be £7.50 (or the local equivalent).

We hope that you agree that this remains an amazing price for this bag. We also hope that the international launches will spark the same awareness and debate that we have provoked in the UK and encourage people to reuse, reduce and recycle!

Where was this bag made?
I’m Not A Plastic Bag is made in China. We have worked with a reputable supplier there whose workers are paid double the minimum wage and who complies with all aspects of Chinese Labour Law. The factory also retains external consultants to monitor it from an international standards standpoint.
How environmentally friendly is this bag?
I’m Not A Plastic Bag came about because we wanted to use our influence in a positive way to make it fashionable not to use plastic bags. The bag is a stylish, practical reusable alternative that we hoped would raise awareness of the issue of wasted packaging and spark debate.

We have shipped the bags by sea and carbon offset our production and freight through the purchase of carbon credits.

What changes has this bag led to?
To date this project has raised a great deal of awareness over the wasted use of plastic bags around the world. It has also contributed to Sainsbury’s banning plastic bags from their stores on two days and giving away free bags for life (reusable bags) to their customers . On the launch day of ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ in Sainsbury’s, both Tesco & Waitrose took out full page adverts to proclaim their plastic bag policies. Marks and Spencer are piloting a scheme in Northern Ireland where customers are being asked to pay 5p for plastic bags. Tesco customers can now earn loyalty points by not using new plastic bags when they shop.

Read more about how to take care of this bag, manufacturing and producing I’m Not A Plastic Bag in Anya Hindmarch FAQ

Anya is certainly not the first designer to incorporate saving the environment in her work. Yet her bag is garnering so much attention that it’s hip to be environmental friendly.

If you are interested in making the world cleaner, less rubbish, take a look at Hippyshopper – Ethical Consumerism. Your guide to the best Fair Trade, Organic, Wildlife-Friendly, Ethical produce out there. Everything from food to clothes; cars to companies.

Immediate action: Use your own shopping bags to shop and inform the cashiers that you do not need plastic bag if the item(s) are light, dry and can be carried by yourself. Cashiers would stick the company’s sticker onto your items so that security guards know that you have paid the items. Make sure you keep your receipts – just in case the security guards ask.

I had paid 2 items at Carrefour Mid Valley but there was no sticker – I only had the receipt. As I forgot to get my spoon, I went back in and wanted to go out at the nearest door. Turned out it was only Enter, not Exit. The security guard pointed to the cashier and snorted to her colleague, “Belum bayar pun!”

I was holding my receipt together with my purchases but she only saw my purchases. What a duh case. So, remember – always keep the receipt if you do not use their plastic bags. You may think you are helping to save the environment and their $ (after all, they don’t have to produce more plastic bags if a lot of people do this) but these staffs think you are stealing stuff!

Giant has its own green bag:
Giant – Reduce use of plastic bags to protect future generations