WARRANTY & WORKMANSHIP
The workmanship in the production of your Envirosax reusable bag is second to none.
Envirosax visits its factories in China on a regular basis to maintain the highest level of quality control. When you receive your Envirosax, if you do have a problem with the quality, please contact us within 7 days and we will replace the item.
RETURN & EXCHANGE
If you want to return or exchange your Envirosax reusable bags, please contact us within 14 days of receiving your bags and return intact to our warehouse in LA.
WASHING YOUR BAGS
The more care you take washing your bags the longer they will last and the smaller your ecological footprint. Machine washing uses vast amounts of electricity, Envirosax recommends a 20 degree hand wash, line dry. The washing instructions are printed on each bag. NOT using a washing machine will lower your ecological footprint and also increase the longevity of your reusable bag.
WHY ARE ENVIROSAX BAGS MADE IN CHINA?
Envirosax bags are made in China due to cost. The quality and service we get from China is excellent. Fair trade and fair wages is an issue in 3rd world countries, but our manufacturer has met all fair trade guidelines.
Many eco-friendly bag companies say that they practise fair trade, but when you research the products they sell, you will find that the products are made by other companies. The companies on the internet are only on-selling. When you further research the original companies you find that there is no mention of the environment, sustainability or anything green related. They are just big well established bag companies making massive profits giving nothing back to the environment.
We find it difficult that companies can say that they are practising fair trade with fair wages when they are receiving the information third hand. At Envirosax we deal directly with our manufacturer, there are no middle men. Fair trade as such does not exist in China, only the Labour Laws of China. In the factory where Envirosax are manufactured there is NO child labour. Most of the workers are women between the ages of 22 and 45. We personally inspect our factories in China and our last trip was October 2007. Our factory manager obeys the Labour Laws of China and pays fair wages and maintains safe clean working conditions. Our manufacturer also produces for the German and UK markets and has to follow all their strict guidelines concerning fair wages, clean safe working conditions, and use of toxic chemicals.
PRINTING MATERIALS
The inks and dyes used in the printing of the polyester graphic series bags are eco-friendly and NO carcinogenic amides are used. The printing process of sublimation ensures that the bags will not fade when washed. The ink used for the sublimation process is recycled where possible.
The steam (water vapour) used in the process is also recycled. The backing paper used in the sublimation printing process is recycled and made into cardboard boxes for the transportation of the bags. These boxes are further recycled for sending the bags out to customers and retailers. All the organic series range are printed with vegatable based inks and packaged in a recycled box, printed with soy inks using
waterless printing techniques. All Envirosax office materials are printed on recycled paper using soy inks using a waterless printing technique.
HOW BIG, HOW SMALL, HOW HEAVY AND HOW STRONG IS AN ENVROSAX?
An Envirosax bag is 19.5 by 16.5. An Envirosax folds up to the size of a piece of sushi, 4 by 1.5 diameter. An Envirosax weighs just 1.4 ozs. An Envirosax can quite comfortably hold two plastic grocery bags of shopping.
DOES ENVIROSAX HAVE A RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR OLD BAGS?
Recycling uses a lot of energy and produces heaps more carbon dioxide in transportation and production of the waste and final product. During recycling dangerous chemicals are also released from the materials being recycled.
All waste fabric in the Envirosax Australian and American warehouses is sent to a recycling depot, where it is shredded and used for stuffing and filler in mattresses, car seats, lounge suites and chairs.
If you would like to recycle your old bags in this manner, then send them to us and we will give you $1 off your next pouch. Alternatively source out recycling depots for polyester in your area, this will save postage and transportation costs.
Similar recycling programs for old bags will be available in the EU from April 2008.
WHY ARE ENVIROSAX REUSABLE BAGS MADE FROM POLYESTER?
Yes, the bags are made from polyester which is a plastic. The idea of the Envirosax came about through the fusion of passion and creativity. The bag was designed to be extremely strong and durable, but still pleasing to the eye. Polyester was chosen so the bags can be printed with several colours, which cannot fade using the process of sublimation. Also due to the fabric properties, polyester allows the bag to be rolled up into a tiny package. After much discussion over the ethics of using plastic we decided to make a reusable bag that everyone would want to use. We understand also the need to produce a bag made from natural fibres and also produce bamboo, hemp and linen bags under the organic range.
The inks and dyes used in the printing of the polyester bags are eco-friendly and NO carcinogenic amides are used.
In defending reusable plastic bags made from plastics, Green groups such as Planet Ark insist that any move from disposable plastic bags is a good thing. Planet Ark’s Doug Mclean says the green bags (reusable bags) “serve as a first step in changing the way we use bags and why we use bags”. They are “not perfect, but they are an initial break in the link of people taking 7 billion throwaway bags. There is an emphasis on behaviour change” One of the biggest behaviour changes will be teaching Australians to recycle the bags rather than discard them when they wear out.
Ian Kiernan, chairman of the Clean up Australia campaign, last year defended the bag in a letter to the Herald. “Each green bag will last an average household about two years, or 104 shops, after which they can be recycled through Coles and Bi-Lo supermarkets,” he said. “Every green bag equals 1.2 single-use plastic bags. That’s an estimated 8.3 plastic bags saved every week, or 431 a year.”
An Envirosax is more superior in strength and design than your average green reusable bag. Envirosax bags are ‘a move in the right direction’ The Envirosax is targeted at people who would normally not use an eco-friendly bag. We have tried to make the whole concept of reusable bags (previously dull, boring and ugly) something which is trendy and fashionable.
WHAT MAKES AN ENVIROSAX BAG ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ?
Polyester is manufactured in factories using fossil fuels, and so contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. However, the evidence above combined with the fact that strong durable polyester bags contributes to waste reduction and the movement away from one-use products, means that its ecological footprint is smaller than that of similar alternatives. REUSE.
WHY DOESN’T AN EVIROSAX HAVE A GUSSET?
A bag made from nylon or polyester will not stand up on its own. A nylon or polyester bag packed correctly full of groceries propped up against another bag, will stand up on its own, with or without a gusset. A rigid polypropylene bag will stand up on its own but cannot be rolled into a small package like an Envirosax and stored in a pocket or glove box of a car. If an Envirosax is packed correctly with square and rectangular items at the bottom of the bag, and irregular shaped items at the top, the bag will have no problem staying upright in the boot of the car or on your doorstep.