All About Cotton Bags – Which Type to Choose and How to Personalise

We are all aware that it is necessary to make our lifestyle and way of work sustainable, both at home and in business. Long-standing habits can be changed gradually, and certain things can be implemented very quickly, with little effort, and still take an important step towards the efficient protection of the environment. One of the ways to achieve this through business is with promotional cotton bags, as they present a sustainable alternative to the most commonly used paper and plastic bags. In addition, they are effective in promoting your company, as users reuse them for private purposes, since they are practical and durable.

In short, cotton bags make a great promotional gift, as they allow for a lot of personalization, and can, at the same time, be used in countless ways. Cotton bags are an excellent choice of gift to give out wherever – at festivals, sporting events, conferences, educational and cultural events, sale campaigns, raffles, and more.

What Makes Cotton Bags So Versatile?

The uses of cotton bags are as diverse as their image. Nowadays, a bag is no longer just a practical accessory for carrying our belongings; instead, it expresses our style, becomes a fashion accessory, an advertising space and, last but not least, the most versatile item that we can carry with us anywhere – shopping cotton bags are an indispensable accessory for quick trips to the store. To avoid the use of plastic carrier bags, it is good to always have them at hand – in the car, in a backpack, in a baby carriage or even in a pocket.

Cotton gift bags perfectly complement a bottle of wine and similar business and personal gifts, since giftees can later on use them for other purposes. In the same way, tote bags are a real hit, as they can be used either for shopping, carrying books to the library or in place of a purse. When we want to promote sustainability and give something super practical, a collapsible cotton bag is therefore a good choice. Due to its convenience and small size, it has become very popular.

What Types of Cotton Bags Are There?

Even with textiles, we can choose better and more environmentally friendly options. In today’s range, there are more and more materials that are sustainable, with organic cotton bags presenting one of environmentally most friendly choices.

Cotton bags surprise with an extremely wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, meaning there exists a perfect bag for every taste and every occasion. They differ in size, thickness, as well as type of material. When choosing a promotional cotton bag, thickness is an important factor, as it directly affects the price of the bag. The thickness is measured in grams per square metre (GSM – grams per square metre), which tells us how heavy a square metre of the material is. The most common bag thicknesses are: 94 g/m, 105 g/m, 140 g/m, 280 g/m, 350 g/m and 400 g/m.

Cotton is a popular material, as it impresses with its breathability, lightness and low maintenance. It’s also a natural material and does not burden the environment. For the most part, promotional cotton bags are made from the following types of cotton: natural cotton, canvas and panama cotton, organic cotton, and recycled cotton. Bags made of two natural materials are also very popular, such as a combination of cotton-jute, cotton-cork, cotton-denim, and others.

• Organic or bio cotton is made without substances that have a negative impact on the environment. They are free of toxic pesticides and fertilisers, and the plants are not genetically modified.
• Cotton bags from recycled cotton are made from recycled materials. Reusing and recycling fabrics is an important part of reducing waste, and with it, recycled cotton gives life to new things.
• Bags made from a combination of two or more natural textiles are becoming increasingly popular. Cork and cotton are natural materials that do not pollute the environment, as in the production process they do not release toxic gases into the environment, which are produced during the decomposition of artificial materials. Both are durable and long lasting.

In addition, cotton is a material that can be beautifully dyed. Usually, when buying promotional cotton bags, primary colours such as red, yellow, green, blue, black, grey, and white are always available. With certain suppliers, you can also choose to derive basic shades, such as dark and light blue, light and wine red, petrol green, and others.

Personalisation of Cotton Bags

To promote companies or events, cotton bags can be personalised in various ways. In addition to the material, model, type and colour of the bag, you can choose different printing methods for the graphics and logo, such as screen printing, sublimation or digital printing.

• Screen printing is most useful in the case of printing 1-3 colours, as each colour is printed with its own template. A higher number of colours is also associated with higher costs for making stencils and preparing for printing.
• Sublimation and digital printing are printed on a certain type of material, depending on what colours are used for printing. They enable the creation of a photorealistic effect, which means an unlimited number of colours and photo printing.
• Embroidery is also a very useful method of personalising textiles. Compared to the methods mentioned above, embroidery adds a special touch of elegance.