Daily Shop] It’s in the Bag
Sarah Walch, sarahw@srqmediagroup.com
Things are not what they seem with eco-friendly wine bags by Sarasota resident Joy Harding and her local company, Earth Balance Bag. What appears to be paper gift bags made of trees plucked from their home among our planet’s rich soil is actually made of limestone. Pulverized and then mixed with polyethylene to bind, you’d never know the difference from the real deal. The tree-free paper comes in a variety of designs—almost sure to match the mood for your up-and-coming gift giving occasion. The bags—launched to green go-getters just six weeks ago, the first of their kind to be available in the United States—are available directly from the source now, but keep an eye out in coming months. What’s already taken hold at savvy retailers in NYC will be popping up among Sarasota shops soon. The green angle is a new wave in our society’s eco leaps and bounds. And of course we’re not surprised Sarasota is right on the cusp.
Earth Balance Bag, 702-A Deer Hammock Rd., Sarasota, 941-371-4949

“Green” gift bags made from limestone
Paper gift bags may not carry a high price tag for consumers, but they can have a major one for the planet in terms of water-borne waste, air pollutants and electricity consumption.

That’s why Joy Harding (Sarasota, FL) developed the Earth Balance Bag, a line of tree-free “paper” bags. The proprietary bagstock (www.earthbalancebag.com) uses inorganic mineral powder from pulverized limestone combined with a small amount of HDPE as a binder. Graphics are offset-printed with vegetable-based inks. For every ton of tree-free “paper” produced, Harding says 20 trees are saved, 42 lb of water-borne waste is eliminated, 236 lb of atmospheric emissions are eliminated, 16,000 gal of water are conserved and 36,000 BTUs of energy are saved.

Wandering around the recent Miami Wine Fair, I came across one of the more intriguing exhibits at the event - to be honest, I’d walked by them three or four times; each time, what I saw was wine gift bags. Big whoop. Then I noticed their sign: Bags Made from Stone. That caught my attention.

The company, The Earth Balance Bag Company, makes gift bags from stone – limestone. No trees are harmed in the making of the bags – in fact, there’s not a shred of “tree” in the bags. It’s about as green as you can get. I spoke with Shelly Sanders, a rep from the company, she explained their process to me.

The bags are made from about 80% calcium carbonate (crushed limestone), mixed with a polyurethane binder. The result is a flexible “paper” product that is water-proof, sturdy, and that can be used to create just about anything that you can do with a tree-based paper product. It really saves a LOT of trees.
The bags on display at the fair looked like most wine gift bags that you’d find in a shop, but – I’m sitting at my desk checking this as I type – are far more substantial than any typical wine bag that I’ve used before. The bags have a substantial feel – they’re flexible, they feel nice, and look really good. I have two samples with me, one that’s got a linen textured surface, the other that’s a matte finish with a cute design on the front – that’s the other thing – the designs are printed with vegetable ink, making them even more earth friendly.

According to Shelly, the bags are waterproof, and will last quite a long time. They offer both standard gift bags and wine gift bags; unfortunately, they don’t sell directly to the public, but do have several locations in Florida – and (hopefully) soon in our area. I’ll post that info when it happens.

Bottom line – these are a very attractive way to gift wine; the bags have a rich, elegant appearance and a really nice feel to them. I’d certainly appreciate getting my next gift of wine in one!

More About: Miami Wine Fair · Earth-Friendly · Green · Gift Bag