Americans have been trained in the superiority of tote bags for at least a few decades. Reusable bags are beneficial for the environment, according to experts. On the other hand, disposable bags are hazardous. To reduce waste, municipalities around the country are limiting the use of plastic shopping bags. Many firms have ceased distributing plastic sacks or charge a little but punishing amount for them. Bag recycling schemes have been implemented across the country.

Canvas bags, on the other hand, may be worse for the environment than the plastic bags they're supposed to replace. A study of resource expenditures for various bags, including paper, plastic, canvas, and recycled-polypropylene tote bags, was released by the UK Environment Agency (UKEA) in 2008. The per-use environmental impact of conventional plastic bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE, the plastic sacks seen at grocery stores) was the smallest of all those examined. Cotton tote bags for women, on the other hand, had by far the highest and most severe potential for global warming since they take more resources to make and distribute. According to the UKEA study, each HDPE bag consumes just under two kilogrammes of carbon. To attain the same per-use ratio with paper bags, seven uses would be required. Totes constructed of recycled polypropylene plastic require 26 uses, while cotton totes require 327.