American Progressive Bag Alliance Launches California Campaign Correcting The Record On Plastic Bags

SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA) today launched a campaign to educate Californians and policy makers on the negative environmental and economic consequences of banning plastic bags. The campaign, which includes television and radio advertising, will urge people to examine the facts about this issue before considering misguided policy proposals based on fabrications and exaggerations.

"To date, the debate on plastic bags has been supported by unfounded stats, junk science and myths. The reality is that American made plastic bags are a better choice for the environment and banning them will cause more harm to the environment," said Mark Daniels, chairman of the APBA. "If California wants to lead in the fight against global warming, banning plastic bags will have the exact opposite effect."

The campaign will communicate facts in order to set the record straight on environmental issues concerning plastic bags and their alternatives:

• Plastic bags produce fewer greenhouse gases than paper or cotton bags.[i]
• Reusable bags cannot be recycled, are mostly shipped from overseas and are made from foreign oil.
• Plastic grocery bags require 70% less energy to manufacture than paper bags.[ii]
• The production of plastic bags consumes less than 4% of the water needed to make paper bags.[iii]
• Plastic bags generate 80% less waste than paper bags.[iv]
• For every seven trucks needed to deliver paper bags, only one truck is needed for the same number of plastic bags.[v]
• American plastic bags are made from natural gas, not oil. In the U.S., 85 percent of the raw material used to make plastic bags is produced from natural gas.[vi]

This week, the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality will take up Senate Bill 405, a bill introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla (CA-20), which would prohibit California retailers from distributing plastic grocery bags and charge consumers a tax for paper bags. 

The APBA is an organization representing the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, which employs 30,800 employees in 349 communities across the nation, including nearly 2,000 in California.

To view the ads in English and Spanish, please visit: www.BagtheBanCalifornia.com.

For more information, please visit: www.BagtheBan.com/Learn-the-Facts/California.

About the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA)
The American Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 to represent the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, employing 30,800 employees in 349 communities across the nation. APBA promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and advocates for American-made plastic products as the best environmental choice at check out—for both retailers and consumers.

[i] http://cascade.uoregon.edu/fall2012/expert/expert-article/

[ii] Franklin Associates, Ltd., "Resource and Environmental Profile Analysis of. Polyethylene and Unbleached Paper Grocery Sacks."

[iii] Boustead Consulting & Associates: "Life Cycle Assessment for Three Types of Grocery Bags—Recyclable Plastic; Compostable, Biodegradable Plastic; and Recycled, Recyclable Paper," 2007.

[iv] ABC News: Paper or Plastic? Just the Facts. 1/7/2006 & Boustead Consulting & Associates: "Life Cycle Assessment for Three Types of Grocery Bags—Recyclable Plastic; Compostable, Biodegradable Plastic; and Recycled, Recyclable Paper," 2007

[v] "RAN Encourages Plastic Bag Recycling; " Nevada News – April 2008; Retail Association of Nevada; http://www.rannv.org/documents/8/April%202008.pdf & Boustead Consulting & Associates: "Life Cycle Assessment for Three Types of Grocery Bags—Recyclable Plastic; Compostable, Biodegradable Plastic; and Recycled, Recyclable Paper," 2007.

[vi] Analysis by Chemical Market Associates, Inc.; February, 2011.

Contact: Molly Pacala
212-819-4869

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance