NEWS

Using Paper Bags versus Plastic T-shirt Bags: Rethinking Common Misconceptions

1. Popular Views and Misunderstandings
In recent years, media and some environmental policies have often considered plastic bags (T-shirt plastic bags) as the main culprit of pollution, thus encouraging bans or replacements with paper or cloth bags. However, this view is incomplete, as it overlooks the context of production, product life cycle, and recyclability of each type of bag. Simply focusing on the “image of plastic waste” may lead to extreme and impractical policies.

2. Limitations of Paper Bags in Practice
First, inconvenience: paper bags have low durability, tear easily when exposed to water, or when carrying sharp-edged goods. In daily shopping conditions (especially in humid or rainy climates like Vietnam), paper bags can hardly replace plastic bags in terms of convenience. 
Second, impact on forest resources: producing paper bags requires a large amount of wood pulp. Although paper can be recycled, the actual recycling rate in many countries remains low, and the process consumes significant water, bleaching chemicals, and energy—often more than plastic recycling. Therefore, replacing plastic bags with paper bags is not necessarily a “green solution.”

3. Plastics as Part of the Petroleum Product Chain
Plastic is a by-product of the petroleum refining chain. When crude oil is processed to produce gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel…, plastic resins (polyethylene, polypropylene…) are inevitably created. Thus, producing plastic bags does not “waste more oil,” but instead makes use of available resources. Even in the context of an energy transition, petroleum remains the world’s most important fuel source and cannot yet be fully replaced. If plastic bags are banned, the plastics generated from refining must still be dealt with by other means, not necessarily more environmentally friendly.

4. Recycling Potential and Plastic Bag Life Cycle
In countries like Vietnam, China, and India, plastic bags have become part of a collection and recycling chain. People collect and sell them to recycling facilities; they are then reproduced into resins and used for new bags, industrial packaging, or other products. This process both creates jobs for millions of informal workers and reduces waste pressure. 
If comparing the carbon footprint: studies show that producing one paper bag (single-use) emits 3–4 times more CO₂ than producing a plastic bag of the same size. Considering transport (paper bags are much heavier than plastic), the environmental burden is even greater. Thus, the claim that “plastic bags destroy the environment” is not accurate when viewed across the entire life cycle.

5. The Reality of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution mainly results from poor disposal habits and ineffective waste management, not from the material itself. In countries with strong waste-sorting systems (Japan, Germany, South Korea), the collection and recycling rates of plastic bags are high, minimizing leakage into nature. The issue lies in management mechanisms and user behavior, not in the material alone.

6. Policy Challenges: The Need for Balance
Some countries have imposed bans on single-use plastic bags but then faced consumer inconvenience and increased costs for producing and transporting substitutes. Research shows that if consumers use cloth or paper bags only a few times and discard them, the total environmental impact is even higher than with traditional plastic bags. Therefore, environmental policies should be based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) rather than emotional perceptions.

7. Practical Solutions for Vietnam
Instead of outright banning plastic bags, Vietnam could: 
- Encourage reuse: promote consumer habits of reusing bags multiple times. 
- Strengthen collection and recycling systems: formalize waste collection activities and modernize recycling chains. 
- Develop biodegradable plastics: with clear standards to avoid “greenwashing” (labeling products as biodegradable when they are not). 
- Apply reasonable environmental taxes: rather than bans, adopt tax incentives to encourage recyclable, larger-capacity bags.

8. Conclusion
Equating plastic bags with “environmental enemies” is a one-sided approach. Both paper and plastic bags have environmental impacts. The issue lies not in the material but in waste management systems and consumer behavior. For Vietnam and many developing countries, where plastic waste collection and recycling are active, plastic T-shirt bags remain reasonable if accompanied by sound policies. Sustainable solutions must balance economic benefits, consumer convenience, and environmental protection, rather than mechanically following slogans like “replace plastic with paper.”