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As the ban on plastic bags is a great step towards making the environment clean and safe. Eve these days the supermarkets and other retailers have started charging customers asking for bags to encourage them to use the reusable bags.

But before using the bag, again and again, you should know how many times you actually can reuse your shopping bag in order to stay safe.

Though reusable bags are the best replacements for plastic bags, one should ensure how many times you can use them in order to reverse its impact on the environment.

There isn’t any straightforward answer to this question. Whereas a study knows as ‘Life Cycle Assessment’ may work in understanding the effect of commonly used recycle bags on the environment.

What is Life Cycle Assessment?

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the process of examining the impact of a product on the environment, its process and activity all around its life process right from its extraction to its transformation, transportation, usage, and the very last disposal.

Considering all the above-mentioned aspects of the LCA process, the scientists compute the emission of greenhouse gas, disposal of debris, consumption of natural resources including water and energy and other myriad effects on the environment.


Furthermore, if you are aware of all such things and then using a plastic bag, then you may end up with myriad questions including the material used to make such plastics whether it’s a recycled plastic? And if it’s made of recycled material, then transportation can be the issue. And many such questions.

Eventually what if the bags fail to serve their primary purpose, would they be recycled, used as lining the dustbins or throwing away would be the ultimate option with you?

How Often you can Use the Shopping bag?

On the basis of life cycle assessment (LCA), scientists have concluded about how often different types of bags can be reused as compared to the standardized supermarket bags.

Danish research conducted in 2018 found that different types of bags can be reused differently before using it as a dustbin lining and eventually disposing of it.

Polypropylene Bags

It mainly consists of the green color reusable bags which are easily found in the supermarket. The woven polypropylene bags can be used up to 37 times.


Paper Bags

The bags which are made of different kinds of paper can be used 43 times.

Cotton Bags

Bags made from organic, non-organic cotton and natural fiber have the highest durability as they can be used 7100 times.

Insulated promotional Bags

There are many kinds of insulated promotional bags which can be used as a medium for your brand promotion. Even it’s a great way to promote the message or logo of your organization.  It provides the two in one benefit of marketing and promoting a brand along with fulfilling the purpose of carrying things.

One more study held in the United Kingdom which considered climate change as the key aspect of the study suggested that to minimize the global warming effect rather than the one time use plastic bags.


The study suggests that

  • Paper bags -which are made of different materials of paper can be used thrice.
  • Polyethylene bags– the low-density Polyethene bags which are non-biodegradable can be used four times. These are the thick plastic bags which are easily found in the market everywhere.
  • Polypropylene Bags– The non-woven polypropylene bags can be used 11 times.
  • Cotton Bags– The bags made up of any kind of cotton can be used for 131 being the highest among all.

Note- If a plastic bag is even used for lining the dustbin then it also influences and increases the number of times an alternative can be used.

It has also been concluded from 2018 Danish research the use of organic cotton has a greater environmental effect than the use of non-organic cotton because of the higher cost of production.

Another research held in 2014 in the United States suggests that the ordinary plastic bags have a greater adverse effect on the environment as compared to the bags made of Low-density Polyethene (LDPE) or Polypropylene.

The study also found that about 40% of the customers who do shopping fail to take their reusable bags and ask for the plastic bags at the cost of degrading the environment.

Overall you got enough information on how often to use the shopping bag keeping in mind about saving the environment.

So read it properly and make the wise use of reusable bags.



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