Custom tote bags are a very useful accessory when out shopping. They are big enough to carry your purse and other items such as an umbrella, a water bottle as well as your shopping items. Instead of carrying them in shopping bags, you can lump all your stuff into one big roomy bag while your hands are free. One of the hottest trends where custom tote bags are concerned is eco-friendly tote bags.

Nempire and more stores and retail outlets are offering their customers a choice of their in-house custom tote bags so that the need of using plastic shopping bags is reduced. Stores such as Wal-Mart, Tesco, The Body Shop, IKEA and Starbucks are offering customers their very own custom tote bags to encourage their customers to use these bags while shopping as it is re-usable unlike plastic bags and it is also eco-friendly.

There are many benefits to eco-friendly custom tote bags. The fact that they are re-usable is not only beneficial to individuals but also the environment. The amount of plastic bags produced annually is much more compared to the amount that is recycled. The production of plastic bags is already harmful to the environment as they emit toxic chemicals so the more is produced, the more pollution occurs. Also, plastic takes over 1000 years just to decompose and in this process, toxic chemicals are also released into the atmosphere. Not only that, plastic bags pollute the ocean and clog drains and pipelines, causing more and more damage, killing thousands of animals each year.

This is part of the reason why more and more environmentally conscious people are opting to use custom tote bags as it will definitely lessen our demand for plastic bags, its production as well as the associated pollution and oil consumption. By re-using tote bags, you support environmental efforts. Reusing just one bag in your daily life can "eliminate" the use of approximately 6 plastic bags every week, which accumulates to 288 bags a year. If people can adopt the use of reusing bags for their entire life, they can reduce the need for 20,000 plastic bags in their life.

There are even more reasons to use eco-friendly custom tote bags beyond the environmental issue. These bags can carry twice as much items than plastic shopping bags can and there are far more easier and comfortable to carry, looks much more trendier for the eco-friendly fashionista and this leaves your hands for other things. Many of these bags are made from environmentally friendly fabrics, such as hemp or recycled cotton which are non-toxic and non-allergenic. Additionally, reusable eco-friendly bags are washable and are made from strong fabric that will last for many years.