South Africa, Sept. 21 -- Paper shopping bags may seem like the obvious sustainable choice, but what happens before and after the bag reaches the checkout matters too.

This is according to Traderbag, which began supplying shopping bags to major clothing brands in 2025 and currently supplies millions of bags a year to the fashion sector.

Responsible paper starts with responsible sourcing

The idea that using paper automatically means damaging forests overlooks how the material can be sourced and produced, according to Traderbag managing director Daniel Cherry.

"The key question is where the paper comes from. Responsible paper producers use managed commercial forests where trees are grown as a renewable crop," says Cherry.

"The message ...