Producing the Goods

Shaftesbury Bag

A new reusable organic cotton shopping bag with a striking image of Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill was launched at the Gold Hill Fair in the town and is on sale at various shops through the High Street at a retail price of £4.00.

It was been produced by Common Ground in 2003 to encourage people to stop using plastic bags, which pollute places, harm wild life, and persist in landfill sites.

Common Ground commissioned Dorset-based artist John Hinchcliffe to create an image that would help to promote the identity of Shaftesbury. We hope that other towns will follow suit and produce their own reusable bags with lively images to promote their places. It may seem a small step, but over 8 billion plastic bags are used in the UK each year. They do not degrade, marine mammals swallow them and die, they litter beaches, clog up rivers, and add to Britain’s waste, which is growing at 3% a year. In Germany stores sell cotton bags rather than giving away plastic ones. We should like to see this happening here.

In pioneering the production and design of the bag we have already excited interest from the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Association, Town Council, Task Force and local groups. We are grateful to North Dorset District Council for support to enable us to research and pursue this pilot project.

We had difficulty in sourcing organic cotton, but felt it imperative since more chemicals are used on cotton than any other crop. In helping ourselves we did not want to pollute someone else’s place. We look forward to the time when we can buy bags made from home-grown organic stinging nettles.

The bag is 40cm x 40cm and has been made by Green Fibres in Totnes, Devon.

John Hinchcliffe is a practising artist/craftsman and his work is in private collections and museums including the Crafts Council and the V&A in London.

Contact:
Common Ground, Gold Hill House, 21 High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8JE.
+44(0)1747 850820, e-mail: info [at] commonground.org.uk
<www.commonground.org.uk>