The invention of the modern polyethylene shopping bag is credited to Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin in the early 1960s. His design aimed to create a strong, lightweight alternative to paper bags, which were resource-intensive to produce and often broke under stress. Thulin’s simple yet effective design involved folding and sealing a single piece of plastic film to form a bag with a handle.
This innovation had a significant impact on shopping habits globally. The durability and low production cost of these bags led to widespread adoption by retailers and consumers. It addressed practical concerns of carrying groceries and other purchased goods while initially reducing the reliance on paper bags, thereby seemingly offering an environmental advantage. However, the long-term environmental consequences of plastic bag usage were not fully understood at the time.