Jute goods makers export around 100,000 shopping bags a month on average to different countries. They hope scope for more shipments will widen next year, as some European countries are set to ban polythene bags in 2010.

Eco-concerns drive demand for biodegradable bags on the global market, giving rise to the exports of shopping jute bags from Bangladesh. 

"In our products line, shopping jute bags are the most popular among importers as European and American consumers are opting for environment-friendly bags which can be used repeatedly," said Milton Suranjit Ratna, a senior officer of Corr-The Jute Works.

Corr-The Jute Works exported over 600,000 jute bags in 2008 mainly to Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, South Korea, and France. 

Creation Private Limited, a jute goods maker, exports around 50,000 shopping bags to those destinations a month. Two years ago, the number of jute bags exported by Bangladesh would not exceed 100,000 annually, said the sector people.

A global initiative for banning environment-unfriendly shopping bags and declaring the year 2009 by the United Nations as International Year of Natural Fibres has fuelled demand for jute bags. Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, has recently called for a ban on polythene bags and said: “Single-use plastic bags which choke marine life should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.”

According to reports, France and Germany will ban the use of non-biodegradable polythene bags next year. Furthermore, US is looking for a viable alternative to polythene bags.

San Francisco has completely banned plastic bags. Los Angeles will do so in 2010. Also, Washington, D.C.'s city council is set to vote on a five-cent-a-bag tax later this month.  Now the United States uses an estimated 90 billion thin bags a year, with most used to handle produce and groceries.  The global context has made a multi-billion dollar global shopping bag market, opening up a huge opportunity for the country's golden fibre.

On the potential of jute bag exports from Bangladesh, the sector people viewed that non-perishable polythene bags will go out of market in the years to come, driving demand for Bangladeshi jute bags.  On the other hand, more and more chain shops around the world are phasing out the use of polythene bags in their shops and using bio-friendly natural fibre bags instead.

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www.bangladesheconomy.wordpress.com.