Recognizing the Dangers of Plastic Bags
- Harmful to the natural environment, it harms 267 different species (sea turtles- thinking its food)
- UN Environmental Program spokesman Achim Steiner:"there is simply zero justification in manafacturing plastic bags anymore, anywhere" (Citizen-Action Public- Company marketing decisions questioned by environmental groups, helps the business stay in touch with consumers)-Listen to this public (no more plastic bags)
- Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they form toxins which harm soil and water
- Changes in the marketing environment (more people going green)
Benefits of other forms of reusable bags
- The movement for reusable bags was because of the massive harm plastic bags caused to the environment (turned people off)
- Walmart for example to keep up with latest trend created their own reusable blue bag (oct 2007), attempting to cut down on their waste by 1/3 in 2013.It has worked as since then in Canada waste has been reduced by 15 percent.
- Countries all over the world have adapted the trend of reusable bags (www.reuseit.com/learn-more/top-facts/trends-from-around-the-world)
- Consumers are becoming more aware of what is happening in their natural environment
- More and more stores making the transition to reusable bags thus companies have to adopt a new marketing strategy. The introduction of the reusable woven polypropylene bag changed the way companies advertise in the market. Instead of advertising on plastic bags over and over again, they can advertise on reusable bags which are durable and a lot cheaper to brand (not as many as plastic).
- Cheaper to Manafacture thus company will gain savings to be used for other business practices
- Same type of strength as a normal plastic bag
- Production and Demand for the reusable bag has increased massively
-Many celebrities have marketed for reusable bags (Oprah. 2007-media hype) - Change in the marketing landscape
The marketing landscape has changed. More and More businesses have adopted the going green doctrine and thus more reusable tote and canvas bags are more and more in demand. They do now want to be associated with harming the natural environment. There are some consumers that may say that they use plastic bags because of the convenience but the majority of people and businesses know that the future would heavily include reusable bags and not bags made out of plastic.
In Summary:
- The Product (Plastic Bags) were elminated/modified because of changing environment
- Plastic Bags - They were recognized as threats and as a result were minimized
- Alternatives - Canvas Bags
Video: San francisco banned use of plastic bags, shopping responsibly (reusable bags)-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXW0rNPMmA4
