On 12 July, America celebrates National Paperbag Day. A good occasion to take a closer look at this inconspicuous product that is used millions of times a day. Römerturm Feinstpapier, operator of the online shop for paper carrier bags www.mypaperbag.de, presents four interesting (fun) facts about Paperbag Day
1: What wool and "knights" have to do with paper bags
Wool and "knights" are closely connected with paper bags. Did knights already use paper bags? Is wool incorporated into paper bags? Both are wrong, it's all about the history of origins: In the early 1850s, the first paper bag machine was developed and patented in America, the inventor's name being Francis Wolle. About 20 years later, Margaret Ethridge Knight (German "Ritter") developed another machine to produce paper bags with a flat bottom.
2: Bags originally had a funnel shape
When people think of a bag today, they usually associate it with a bag with a flat bottom. Originally, there were only pointed bags with a funnel shape. Such conical bags can be made from leaves, for example, without much effort. That is why such conical bags are among the oldest helpers of mankind, namely when it came to storing or transporting things. Scientists have found evidence that pointed bags were used as early as the 1st century, at that time for spices. Paper has been produced in Germany since the end of the 14th century, and since then the material has also been used for bags.
3: Possible uses
Paper bags are still used today, for example for fruit or as a typical packaging for the delicious Belgian French fries, which have long since started their triumphant advance as a snack speciality all over the world. Today, however, paper bags are mainly used as carrier bags with a flat bottom, for example for shopping in supermarkets and other shops. Paper bags are also popular for gift wrapping
paper bags are also popular for gift wrapping, especially for bottles. In addition, paper carrier bags are popular in modern sales and marketing: they are handy, offer plenty of space for promotional items, flyers & co. and a large advertising area. At the online shop www.mypaperbag.de, customers benefit from a huge colour selection, high-quality papers and low minimum order quantities to design their own paper carrier bag.
4: Lifehacks and fun facts
Crafting: For the next Halloween party or for crafting with kids: Paper carrier bags make wonderful fancy costumes. How about a monster mask? Simply cut out one side of the bag, cut holes for the mouth, nose and eyes, glue or paint it on, attach a rubber band and you're done.
Ripening helpers: Only green bananas left on the supermarket shelf? No problem! Put the green fruit in a paper bag at home and seal it at the top. Bananas emit ethylene, among other things for the ripening process of the fruit. If the ethylene cannot escape, the ripening process is accelerated. By the way, this trick does not only work with bananas, but with many kinds of fruit and vegetables.
Photo by Daniele Franchi on Unsplash
Camouflage: In many places in the USA, alcohol is not welcome in public or is even forbidden, this applies to both consumption and transport. How do people get their alcoholic drinks home from the shop? The solution is: paper carrier bags. By the way, this trick is also often used for consumption - so don't be surprised if people drink out of brown paper bags...
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