Dauerbeutel

Our consumer behaviour is shaped by the constant availability of shopping opportunities that awaken our spontaneous needs. As we often shop unprepared and therefore don’t have a bag with us, we often reach for a bag. This leads to an excess of single-use packaging, which poses a logistical challenge for our planet. Measures such as the EU-wide ban on plastic bags may eliminate some plastic bags from the cycle, but paper bags also require a lot of resources and are increasingly overburdening recycling. Reusable cotton bags would have to be used for many years in order to do justice to their material cost. Even alternative disposable products do not change our behaviour. Legal changes could have an effect, for example by re-pricing disposable products or offering tax breaks for environmentally friendly alternatives.  But it is clear that a service proposal needs to be developed to make the reuse of reusable bags more attractive. It would also be conceivable to integrate transport options into everyday objects or accessories so that they are always carried with you, regardless of your consumption plans. One suggestion is the pouch scarf, which is used as an ordinary scarf and can be filled when shopping. The important thing here is that the repurposing does not restrict the original function. Incentive mechanisms such as collection point campaigns or subscriptions bind customers to certain shops and create a relationship. Why shouldn‘t this work with the packaging itself? Every bag that is not used is marked with a stamp on the bag. Over time, a pattern is created by not using the bag.

The bag now shows what the shopping behaviour is like. The desire to continue the pattern provides an incentive to always remember the bag. Red cabbage is used for colouring because it contains cyanidin. This is a plant pigment from the anthocyanin group that functions as a natural acid-base indicator.  If an alkaline solution is applied to the bluish colour, it turns green. If an acid is applied, the colour turns pink. Once the bag is coloured, it can be embellished in the shop with the recolouring agent. This contains a sodium bicarbonate solution or vinegar and a targeted drop of solution is applied to the bag. A green or pink dot appears immediately. It is important that this process does not interrupt the sales process. The re-colouring device is therefore placed on the sales counter and can be activated from the sales side. Customers only need to place their bags on the colouring head. This is also possible if the bag is already full. A grid is ironed onto the bag for orientation so that the dots are not scattered wildly across the bag. A city marketing campaign distributes the bag to citizens, for example when they re-register. The points can now be collected in all participating shops. This also creates a visible sign and attention in the cityscape. But it’s just as important to pull those collected fabric bags out of their drawers. You can easily dye them with budget resources such as red cabbage and vinegar and get them ready for reuse.