Paper Bag Day 2023: Date, Theme, History, Importance, Significance & FAQs

Every year 12 July is celebrated as Paper Bag Day which aims to spread awareness among people about the benefit of using paper bags instead of plastic. Plastic in any form, especially those thin carry bags, is very harmful for our environment.

They are a major source of water, land and air pollution and their use should be discouraged as soon as possible. Paper bags on the other hand are reusable, recyclable and do not have adverse effect on our environment.

Paper Bag Day 2023 Overview

Paper Bag Day 2023 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for Paper Bag Day for the next 5 years.

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History & Importance of Paper Bags

History of Paper Bags

Paper Bags were first manufactured commercially in England in 1844. However, the machine to mass-produce paper bags was first invented in 1852 by a schoolteacher Francis Wolle. He and his brother patented their machine and established the Union Paper Bag Company. Another papermaker from Birmingham and Kings Norton in England received a patent for apparatus to make square-bottomed paper bags in 1853. Another patent for producing paper bags was granted to William Goodale for his paper bag machine in 1859. Margaret E. Knight invented a machine to produce flat-bottomed paper bags that can carry more than the previous envelope-style design. She also founded the Eastern Paper Bag Company in 1870. In 1883, Charles Stilwell patented a machine that made paper bags with square-bottom and pleated sides, making them easier to fold and store.

Importance of Paper Bags

There are numerous benefits of using paper bags over plastic bags. They are recycle, reusable and highly biodegradable which makes them less harmful for the environment. The paper bags degrade in a very short period of time usually from two to five months. On an average, the fibers of paper bags are reused 3.6 times in Europe, and 2.4 times in the rest part of the world. In terms of safety, paper bags are safer than plastic bags as they sent less suffocation risk to young children or animals.

List of all other special days in July

Paper Bag Day Significance

Paper Bag Day calls out to everyone to stop using plastic bags which causes numerous harms to our environment and switch to paper bags. The toll that plastic is taking on the environment is something that cannot and should not be ignored. On the other hand, paper bags are free from toxins and safer to use with very little to no impact on the surroundings. So, the celebration of Paper Bag Day seems pretty significant in saving the planet earth. It is the day to remind people to switch to paper bags and choose recyclable materials for everyday use to ensure a sustainable future.

History of Paper Bag Day Observation

The exact history of paper day celebration is not known. However, the day does commemorate the patenting of paper bag machine manufactured by William Goodale. His machine was patented on July 12 1859 and therefore paper day is also observed on the similar day every year.

How is Paper Bag Day celebrated?

There are no celebrations carried out to observe Paper Bag Day and is a day to remind everyone on the earth how using paper bag can save our world from the pollutions that plastic causes. To observe this day, you can learn more about harms of plastic bags and benefit of paper bags. You can switch from plastic to paper bags to help the cause and teach others to do the same. Learn more about reuse and recycle of paper bags.

FAQs