Reusable shopping bag

In recent years, cotton tote bags have surged in popularity, promoted as an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic bags. From local supermarkets to high-end fashion collections, these bags are marketed as a sustainable choice, but is the claim true

The images show the man holding two bags in his left hand, one of which contains the dead infant

Demand for string grocery bags increased by 154 percent in December 2018 compared to the same month of 2017, according to data provided by Hepsiburada.com, a popular e-commerce platform in Turkey.

The price of single-use plastic bags at supermarkets and some other stores will rise from 4 to 9 cents on January 1 as part of the effort to reduce their use. The aim is for each citizen to use no more than 90 bags annually by 2020 and 40 by 2025.

It sounds too good to be true — a plastic bag made from corn starch that breaks down with food waste and leaves no remnant plastic to make its way into the oceans.

These "compostable" light-weight bags for fruit and vegetables are being trialled in two South Australian supermarkets.

Revenues from the sale of plastic bags at Greek supermarkets have reached about 4 million euros since the initiative was launched on January 1, according to the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA).

Just a month in, an initiative aimed at reducing consumers' dependence on plastic carrier bags by charging for them appears to be bearing fruit, as some supermarkets have recorded a drop of as much as 50 percent.

A shopper takes a break on a street in the central city of Trikala on Wednesday as Greece joined other European Union countries in charging consumers for the use of plastic bags. The initiative is aimed at reducing the proliferation of plastic bags and their adverse impact on the environment by convincing consumers to use durable bags when shopping.

Only one in ten Greek shoppers say they will continue to use plastic bags in supermarkets after the introduction of a 3 cent levy as of January 2018, according to a new poll.

According to the survey, conducted by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA), two in three consumers are in favor of banning the all-too-familiar polythene bags.

Plastic bags will cost up to 8 cents each in supermarkets as of July 2018, as a bill from the Environment Ministry is to be passed that will finally incorporate into Greek law a European Union directive dating from 2015 that should have been introduced last November.