A popular infographic depicting the life cycle of a plastic bag is the product of a Chinese reusable bag manufacturer.
The infographic, which has been circulating on the Internet among environmentalists, was produced by Factory Direct Promos (FDP), a reusable bag manufacturer based in the Guangdong province of China.
The infographic tracks the origins of bags from their crude oil beginnings to their ocean-floor resting place. It also contains visuals of imperiled whales, dolphins, and seagulls.
Factory Direct makes similar claims on its website, and connects plastic bags to the West Nile Virus. "Plastic bag ban could save lives," one blog post contends.
However, Factory Direct neglects to mention the threat to life by the reusable bags it produces.
The product manufactured by FDP was linked earlier this year by health officials in Oregon to a strain of norovirus that afflicted a girls youth soccer team.
A 2011 study by the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) found reusable bags contained high levels of lead. CCF focused on testing bags that were constructed from "nonwoven polypropylene," which is the most commonly used material in reusable grocery bags and typically made in China.
Meanwhile, a recent economic impact study of the new Los Angeles County bag ban by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that those businesses affected by the measure experienced a ten percent reduction in employment in the year since the ban took place. The report found that, as the result of consumer displacement, "every single store within the bag ban area 'was forced to terminate some of its staff.'"