International Plastic Bag Free Day
Help the fight against plastic pollution by eliminating those thin, filmy plastic bags. Try bringing reusable bags to the store, and forego bags for small purchases.
Position reusable bag solutions and eco-friendly alternatives as premium, lifestyle-driven products while driving July foot traffic and brand loyalty through sustainability messaging.
- Show off your custom reusable bag design—DIY craft challenge with user-generated content
- Retailers offering discounts for customers who bring their own bags—highlight savings + environmental impact
- Partner with Break Free from Plastic movement for co-branded cleanup events and community engagement
- Before/after ocean cleanup stories featuring plastic-free shopping habits
International Plastic Bag Free Day was founded as earlyas 2009 through several concerned parties. Support comes as part of the Break Free from Plastic Movement, along with Zero Waste Europe and Bag Free World. It was created as a worldwide initiative for the purpose of getting rid of the single-use of plastic bags around the world.
This day is all about promoting environmental conservation by encouraging us all to stay away from the use of plastic bags and instead look for more eco-friendly alternatives.
If we can do it on this one date, then we can do it for the rest of the year, right? The day is also important in terms of increasing awareness of the dangers and the harm that is associated with plastic bags in terms of the impact they have on marine life, animal life, and nature.
So, it is good to share awareness and use your voice!
Stop Using Plastic Bags
Start by choosing paper over plastic or, even better, bring your own bags to the retailers to pick up your goods. Some stores even offer discounts or other perks for the customers that bring their own!
Make Your Own Bag
Anothe option for connecting with the day is to make your own bag. If you take a look online, you will see that there are a lot of different instructions and craft ideas when it comes to making your own bag. Not only does this ensure that you reduce your use of plastic, but you can also make a unique bag that no one else has. This is the perfect way to show off your style and your individuality. You will also feel proud that you are carrying around a bag that you have made yourself.
Encourage Customers
If you own a store yourself, start a program to encourage your customers to bring in their own reusable containers and stop offering plastic bags as an option.
Get Involved in the Movement
If you want to become even more proactive, then you can head on over to the Break Free From Plastic website to help organize events, network with other people in your area and around the world who are striving to make a difference, or find an event to volunteer and help with yourself! There’s also an option to tell a story about Plastic Bag Free Day to your friends and family. Among the most popular activities for International Plastic Bag Free Day are simple gatherings of people walking roadways, beaches, and rivers and picking up all the garbage they find there.
Raise Awareness
Everyday millions of plastic bags get disposed of unnecessarily. And without active people like yourself getting involved, the future is going to be dealing with hundreds of millions of pounds of plastic bags clogging oceans, rivers, and the world at large. The problem has reached such proportions that what was once clean sand on the beaches of the world are now being found to be made of composites of natural substances and garbage plastic.
Volunteer
You can also volunteer your money or your time at an environmental organization or charity that is focused on cleaning landmasses and water of plastic bags. There are a lot of great groups out there that are doing amazing work, but they need help, and we are sure they would greatly appreciate any type of assistance that you can give them.