Green Beauty: Store Bag Store eco grocery bags

Hey VivaBellas! How’s your weekend so far? I’ve been battling some downtime due to a viral infection and my eyes are hurting. Some of you may have read my tweet that my eyes resemble that of a frog! Anyway, speaking of frog, I want to introduce you to a new eco grocery bag under the brand Store Bag Store from Japan. They’re brought in by Mrnmrsfab.com in Singapore and five of these worth S$125 will be included in the VivaBella Green Beauty Box Giveaway, running from now till December!

A fashionable & practical solution to plastic bags
One of the good thing about such eco friendly grocery bags are that they present a fashionable and practical solution to the problem of disposable plastic bags. And we know that by reducing the impact of plastic bag waste, we are making an effort to reduce global warming.

Do you have a eco friendly attitude?
Well, knowing is one thing but action is another. So the question for you today is, do you actively participate in the 3Rs – reduce, reuse & recycle? And if you’re not quite convinced of the negative impact of disposable plastic bags on our environment, then I would strong encourage you to read the facts over at Mrnmrsfabulous. And if you’re not already using one of these eco grocery bags, now’s a good time to start because the store has also extended a special 30% discount on all orders from now till end December. Just use promo code :XMAS30. They will make meaningful X’mas presents too!

More about VivaBella Green Beauty Box Giveaway
As you can see, the goodies for the VivaBella Green Beauty Box Giveaway are coming along very quickly. Out of the five boxes, four of them will go to my Singapore readers while one box will go to an international reader. This will happen in December. Winners will be handpicked based on the quality of their comments and participation level throughout the period. To check out the other goodies and to comment on the other posts, check out the Green Beauty section.

Comments

  1. Xi Xi says:

    I looked at their site and Store Bag Store isn’t listed there?

  2. Diane says:

    I follow the 3r’s as much as I can. Though most of the time I don’t intentionally buy new Eco bags as so many have produced & give it away – I try to avoid adding more wastage by buying ? Consequence is not so fashionable bags though! ?

  3. kay says:

    I do have a reusable bag and have been using it for 3 years or more. When I purchase something, usually I’ll tell the cashier I didn’t need any bag, I just chuck it in my tote or I’ll return the plastic bags if they insist on putting my purchase in a bag.

    When shopping at hypermarts, if I buy too many things that my reusable bags are not enough to put everything in, I’ll offer to pack my purchases in plastic bags myself to reduce the number of plastic bags I bring home.

    And I reuse the plastic bags to put rubbish in before I throw them away.

  4. BT says:

    I have only bought one eco grocery bag which was in a hypermarket because I did’t know the day is their “no-bag” day. Some supermarkets have been using re-cycle plastic bag for few years, though this type of re-cycle bag tear off easily but it is great effort of those companies to support green environment. We save some money while being supportive too, when say “no” to cashier counter, I get 5% instant cash rebate on the particular green campaign day at a store every month.

    When go to shopping, I have always taking linen tote bags nowadays. They were given by companies but I used the one without company logo most, I used a pattern to cover the company logo on the other tote bag, haha, don’t want to be free advertiser everywhere. These linen tote bags are so durable, re-washable and large enough to accommodate many stuff inside. When I go to travel, I like the one that can be fold into <3inches size, very convenient and very niche since it was a GWP of a premium beauty brand.

    I start the initiative myself and very glad to see my elder sister was also doing the same, she always remember to put an eco bag in her bag. Mrnmrsfabulous has very nice design of their eco bag and I know Japanese normally made quality product. No plan to get a new one because I have too many, don't buy extra unnecessary eco bag is also eco-friendly. ("v)

  5. sesame says:

    It’s not listed…think he’s not selling it at the moment.

  6. sesame says:

    Good point too to recycle what we already have rather than buying.

  7. sesame says:

    I actually use the plastic bags in the supermarkets cos like you’ve mentioned, usually the purchases are bulky and I also need the plastic bags for my waste bins.

  8. sesame says:

    Haha…that’s cute! You actually use a pattern to cover the logo? I do hate carrying bags bearing such logos too. Like you, I’m not keen to give free advertising.

  9. Amanda says:

    Using eco bags is good . However, I also notice that it is a practice not well practiced. For one thing, some companies are making more and more eco bags to promote themselves. At some point, I think we are having far too many eco bags, which we don’t really need. One thing we customers can do is to bring our own eco bags and not to accept those that come our way for free.

  10. sesame says:

    Haha…yes! Thanks for pointing this out. It seems we are getting too many of them now.

  11. pink_geek_elaine says:

    eco bags is so cool and a lot of people here in the Philippines is using it. There’s this department store here and during wednesdays they are not allowed to use plastic bags on the grocery section and all the things you buy is put in a paper bag if you dont have a reusable bag. So every wednesday it is called “Bring Your own Bag” for you to put your groceries in it. So everyone i know has an eco bag.. I too have one and it’s kinda cool. Also, this eco friendy bags from Store bag Store are really cute.. I would like to have one ?

  12. melmok says:

    i agree with amanda.
    there’s too many eco bags given out for free. i think i’ve collect about 20 over ‘reusable’ bags and not all of it are bio biodegradable.
    i’ve stop taking these reusable bag unless it’s really nice, foldable and made from cotton. yet to see one given out for free… ?

  13. sesame says:

    Yeah, the “bring your own bag” day is quite good in promoting eco awareness.

  14. sesame says:

    Haha…too many and then we will have another set of problem! Actually paper bags are nicer than some of the eco bags given out for free. And I had no idea that not of them are biodegradable!

  15. fwy says:

    I realised I had started using reusable gorcery bags to carry my stuff & purchses since this year & hopefully I will be able to continue to do so. Of course, having a nice & durable one like Store Bag Store would encourage people to use them more often. Adopting a lifestyle that utilizes eco-friendly products is something we all can do to ensure a healthy future for everyone.

    I had tweeted this giveaway:-
    Follow Vivawoman’s blog to win an eco-friendly gorcery bag:-
    https://www.vivawoman.net/2011/11/19/green-beauty-store-bag-store-eco-grocery-bags/

  16. Frond says:

    an ecobag is a staple in any other bag I carry. Its so good for carrying the bits and pieces I might buy throughout the day… also good when travelling for the same reason. Instead of carrying many smaller plastic bags… I just have one large bag full of “treasures”. Less to keep track of. ?
    it really comes down to a mindset change… and taking the baby steps needed to implement that change. for me, using an ecobag is a baby step in slowly incorporating more ‘green’ ways of doing things in my life.

  17. sesame says:

    Thanks for the tweet!

  18. sesame says:

    You’re right that it’s a mindset change and taking baby steps is a good way to start.

  19. Issa says:

    thanks for reminding me to use these kinds of bags while grocery shopping … i will try my best to do it ? nice bags by the way…

  20. N. says:

    Yes my whole family family do the 3Rs. Well except for some resistance from my father but we take great care about it. My mom is always carrying around those eco green bags.

  21. sesame says:

    I guess it’ll take awhile for your dad to get use to the idea but it’s good your family is practicing 3Rs proactively.

  22. Pollya says:

    I’ll have to admit I’m not so into using ecobags for grocery shopping — the thing I find troublesome is that if I buy a lot of chilled and frozen stuff, when these bags get wet things can get quite messy… But I do carry a small recycle bag in my handbag when I go out and forsee I might buy small things here and there.
    In terms of recycling plastic bottles, metal cans and paper etc, I’m quite conscientious about that. And I’ve always wondered, do recycleable bags mean that they should also NOT be thrown (e.g. when they’re worn out and tattered) and should be recycled? Do they go into the “paper” section of the recycle bins then?

  23. sesame says:

    Chilled and frozen stuff are a bit troublesome…I go back to plastic bags too. And I have no idea if which section they should go…miscellaneous…haha…

  24. Irene says:

    Its great to always have an eco bag whenever your shopping. To help the environment by avoiding plastics

  25. Carol says:

    I do try to reduce, reuse & recycle. Here where I live the city gives out 3 trash carts for each household. The blue cart is for recyclable materials like newspapers, plastic bottles, glass bottles, and aluminum cans. I reuse the plastic bags I get from the supermarkets for my trash bins. Pretty soon supermarkets will be charging costumers for the plastic bags to encourage them to use eco grocery bags instead.

  26. sesame says:

    3 trash carts? Wow, we don’t have that here. In fact, my mom had to purchase those large plastic bags because they changed her trash bin.

  27. Carol says:

    Yes, 3 trash carts….blue, gray, and green. Blue is for recyclables, gray is non-recyclables, and green is yard waste.

  28. CT says:

    I live in Singapore and in HDB. Usually those plastic bags from supermarket, we’ll use to contain thrash especially food stuff before its down the rubbish chute to prevent croaches and rats infestation.

    When stores start charging, its back to square one that we will have to buy thrash bags for our bins. How are we going to throw our food stuff down the central bins without the plastic bags.

  29. Audris says:

    Yes, I certainly believe in the 3R’s what 1 year of Germany has inculcated in me, especially with the usage of eco bags (it’s mostly BYO bags at the supermarkets there) and the separation of trash into the right bins for major recycling.

    That said, I have backslided since returning to Singapore where these things aren’t really practised. However, with the move in our supermarkets towards encouraging people to bring their own bags or to purchase their own eco bags, as well as many shops preferring to use eco bags for store purchases rather than paper or plastic bags, I’m very heartened and motivated to re-start my eco drive. I now have reusable bags stashed away even at work in my drawers to use when I run down to Cold Storage ?

  30. EcoBeauty says:

    I have a confession to make… I always buy reusable bags–but I always forget to bring them when shopping and that’s why I end up buying so many! But it’s probably because I only buy the one from Fair Price, which unfortunately isn’t really fashionable and cute enough to motivate me to remember bringing it with me, haha. But when I browsed through MrNMrsFabulous website, I realized that even the typical reusable grocery bag can look cute (and even posh). They’ve got quite a collection and they even novelty items like sporks. Anyway, I fell in love with this design:
    http://www.mrnmrsfab.com/2011/10/05/to-the-moon/
    Only problem is, it looks too cute for me to convince myself that it’s okay to put packed Pasar Chicken Breast or Fresh Salmon in it, lol.

  31. kay says:

    Usually my family will go grocery shopping once a week and buy a lot of stuffs, after standing at the cashier and observing the people packing the grocery, I realize they only put 3 items in a bag at most.

    I’ve RT-ed your tweet for this giveaway.

  32. Sara Khong says:

    I am very proud to say that I am very eco-friendly since young. I feel guilty throwing even the smallest piece of paper away. I have a store room which I keep bags of separated plastic bottles, glass from vitamin bottles/cooking oil etc and paper. Once every month, I’ll recycle them. I also keep a foldable bag in my bag and car. The only time I use plastic bag is to store trash. I also use most things until I can’t use them anymore. But still, ‘reduce’ is quite hard in this material world. I still like shopping for new clothes and shoes…

  33. Tammi Cherise Tan says:

    *clears throat nervously*

    I… I have to admit that I’m very unenthusiastic about the whole 3R movement (although I know I should be. Shame, shame, shame on me). I hit up Cold Storage, get my buys in a pl*stic b*g (dirty word in a post like this), go home, use the items, and – horror of horrors – throw the non-biodegradable carrier away.

    The next time I’m making a trip to the supermarket, I’ll try my best to make sure I have a cute, reusable tote with me so I can lug my stuff home in that instead of a – here it goes again – pl*stic b*g.

  34. claire says:

    Recyclable bags are awesome. However, I do think it’s difficult to have ten million bags around when going serious shopping. especially when my family goes grocery shopping, we still need extra plastic bags. Also, at home, we always reuse the plastic bags as rubbish bin liners. Thank goodness the plastic bags available nowadays are biodegradable.

    I usually try my best to practice the 3Rs. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Too bad most Singaporeans aren’t into using ecobags that much. I always try to bring an ecobag out everywhere I go. and I always try to reduce the amount of nonrecycleable packaging used if possible. Would be great if the government could do a permanent no plastic bag day on a certain day of the week. NTUC used to do it but they stopped. In Malaysia, in the state of Selangor, Saturday, one of the busiest shopping days, is no plastic bag day. It really does encourage people to bring their own bags and because they don’t want to pay for plastics bags too!

  35. Lil Khor says:

    I am the biggest fan of 3R. Ever since Penang turned into a “no plastic bag” state, I always carry around a foldable shopping bag in my handbag. My family also recycle and they were given to a charitable organisation which sells the junks and give the proceeds to old folks home. 3R rocks!

  36. Renz says:

    I don’t really practice the 3R. Or maybe I should say we do reuse plastic bags, we would keep the plastic bags every time we come back from grocery shopping, using it to contain items to be put into the fridge or even for traveling usage. We always keep a spare one in the diaper bag for dirty diapers. There are lots of ways and areas to re-use them instead of dumping them away. Sometimes if the plastic bag is still clean after re-using it, we would still it to line the rubbish bins. However, when purchasing small items, I usually forgo the plastic bags, preferring to dump into my big bag instead, though i usually need to empty the whole bag when I reach home as it would most likely be buried somewhere deep under.

  37. sos says:

    I do try to buy less stuff and recycle as much as possible

  38. theresa says:

    i saw them at a shop at parco millenia walk that day. wide range.

  39. Lucia says:

    I appreciate that most supermarkets where I live give customers the option to use eco bags. I own a few of these bags and use them all the time. But at times I forget to bring them with me when I go grocery-shopping and end up using plastic bags instead! ? The bags that I own are not foldable and won’t fit in my handbag. The eco gocery bag of Store bag store is great since it looks like it can fit in any handbag and is foldable too. I hope all supermarkets ditch the plastic bags already and only use eco bags. It will surely make a huge difference in our environment. In our city, we are urged to segregate our waste into biodergradable and non-biodegradable. We have a “no segregation, no collection” ordinance. It was difficult for a lot of residents at first but then you get used to it and later on understand and appreciate its purpose. I also quit smoking a few months ago not only for health reasons but for environmental benefits as well. For the longest time I have known that cigarette smoking harms my health and those around me and pollutes the air. I have never really heard of the hazards of discarding millions of cigarette butts every day and the tobacco industry’s major contribution to deforestation, until only recently. With all these factors, I’m so glad and proud to say, I’m a Quitter! ?

  40. Bebe Lee says:

    Yes. I actively participle in the 3Rs – reduce, resue and recycle.

    I have turned many old and unwanted things from my family members into new items for my home.

    I am at the recycle bin almost every day helping my family members and myself to throw in my plastic, glass and metal items. Even when I go overseas, I will never throw any recyclable items into a rubbish bin, if I cannot find a recycle bin, I will bring the items back to Singapore’s recycle bin.

    I really hate to waste and hope Singapore will strictly demand everybody to reduce, reuse and recycle, like Korea, Japan, European countries and etc.

  41. Jason says:

    hope there will be new designs.

  42. sherry says:

    I’d say I focus on recycling more than reducing and reusing. I always recycle, our council provides us with a very big recycling bin but a small garbage bin. I think this is their way of encouraging to recycle, reduce and reuse. I always reuse plastic shopping bags as bin liners.

  43. Corinna Foong says:

    I do make an effort to refuse plastic bags if I get items small enough to dump into my handbag. As for the big plastic bags, my family will use them to line the bins and bag our rubbish before throwing down the chute.

  44. Swati says:

    I try to use less of plastic bags but sometimes its just not possible!!! But, I do carry my own bag everywhere so most of the times I put my shopping into my bag…I do have one like the ones you have talked about in the blog…mum got for me from malaysia just coz they were so cute looking but they are not Eco-frinedly but they look nice and are pretty handy.

  45. Theresa says:

    Sustainable living. A difficult topic in an age where consumer convenience is king and “more is better”. I had a conversation with a friend who’s running a plastics company with her husband in Indonesia, and thought it encouraging when she mentioned how they are looking into making plastics “recyclable”.

    Currently, I bring two grocery bags whenever I go to the supermarket with my mom. It is impossible to live without plastics, but we can make an effort towards reducing unnecessary usage of it. ? Also, I think we have a lot to learn from the West, almost all homes have segregated recycling bins. The task at hand is how to make the 3Rs as convenient and as attractive as using plastics.

  46. Caitie says:

    I always carry an extra reusable grocery bag in my purse…you never know when you’re going to need it! Seriously, it’s come in handy more times than I can count. I hardly ever use plastic bags anymore ?

  47. Viv. A says:

    I live in Mexico. In Mexico city last year they tried to take off plastic bags of all supermarkets (like walmart an so on) and general stores, but unfortunately the people didn’t respond well. Also this law change didn’t apply to the rest of the country. The stores instead of taking the plastic bags off make an extra “charge” to the costumer or simply give them away and “charged” in the product, so what happened is that at first people purcashed them, but now they are for free since many costumers complained. I think that was good idea make it bad execution, since what we need is to make all people aware so they are be willing to contribute to be more enviromental friendly.
    For this eco-bags i would like to say they’re just lovely. I liked the pink one!

  48. Jeni says:

    I follow the 3 r’s as much as possible.

  49. RedScorpio says:

    I 3R as much as I can. I use reusable bags to bring lunch in the office, carry my extra pair of shoes (I walk to work so I often wear sneakers while walking and bring my “office” shoes along), move (the large blue bags from IKEA saved me from buying many cardboard boxes when I moved to my new apartment) and of course when shopping. I even use some pretty ones to organize stuff at home. With such a large variety available nowadays, there is no excuse for always keeping one in your bag or car.

  50. Lena says:

    Ya, and I am so happy I do. Thanks for spreading the word.
    I would walk a mile to the store and the reusable bag from the store made things much easier. I like how you can throw it over your shoulder. Almost like a back-pack.

  51. aibicon says:

    I seldom use eco bags. I usually use plastic bags from super markets for waste materials and as for the eco bags, I use them during campings(probably twice a year). I will dump my dirty laundry inside the eco bags and also my swimming suit in it(nylon and water proof).

  52. nami says:

    plastic bags have been banned in many states in india although enforcement is sometimes questionable.while going to the market we carry a jute bag usually and these eco bags are so pretty

  53. Kim says:

    I carry a foldable cloth shopping bag in my handbag, and I find it an effective way to minimise using plastic bags. So now, I give foldable cloth bags or water containers to friends as gifts because it is a gift for the environment too!
    Yes, 3R is the way for me, especially reduce, so that I can stop the over-consumption at the root cause. Before buying anything, I think twice or thrice or even postpone buying to assess if it is a need or want. I strongly believe that the earth has enough for everyone’s needs, but not enough for 1 man’s wants. I’m trying to downsize my cupboard – stop buying and give away what I don’t need so that other people who really needs it can put my clothes to good use.

  54. DJ says:

    Similar to some of the posts above, I wouldn’t buy additional ECO bags as there are many such bags being given as door gifts and such! In fact, the National Library Board has also adopted these recyclable eco bags in their recent ‘Mystery Brown Bag’ promotion! =) I thought it was a wonderful approach to start inculcating the 3R mindset in these young children!

  55. Diane says:

    really glad to be catching up on reading your blog! ?
    I’m such a fan of being environmental…I’ve just recently help converted a friend to be more eco friendly – not asking plastic bags anymore for small things, bringing eco bags when going grocery shopping ? really good feeling…

  56. Apple says:

    Hi Viva Women,

    Yes, some supermarkets promotes use of grocery bag, to reduce wastage! Some universities have also mandated to scrap away with plastic bags. A good move, especially with overuse of non-renewable resources. Most plastic bags we see are non-biodegradable. It may not be directly impacted on us, but what goes round do come round – and back at us. My personal belief.

    Cheers,
    Apple

Leave a Reply