Hahn's Market Focuses on Reducing Environmental Impact with Adoption of Hippo Sak™ Grocery Bags

Online, May 10, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Hahn's Market, a leading provider of natural, organic and whole foods in the Chippewa Valley recently made a change that it hopes will have a larger impact for generations with the adoption of Hippo Sak grocery bags for the firm's customers. The Hippo Sak grocery bag technology is designed to provide the strength of traditional paper bags with the convenience of plastic bags.
According to the product's manufacturer, the strength of Hippo Sak products can reduce grocery bag use by up to 35 percent or more because 10-12 items can be placed in a single bag. Grocery industry statistics show that the average poly bag only contains 3.4 items.

For Hahn's Market customers, the change to Hippo Sak means fewer bags to handle, and a bag that can be re-used over and over again. "Traditional plastic grocery bags are designed for single use, and can require double bagging for some heavier items" says Brian Hahn, owner of Hahn's Market. "We were impressed by the Hippo Sak's strength in tests performed in our store and that helped us make the decision to adopt them for everyday use."

Hahn notes that helping to reduce the number of plastic bags that could eventually make its way to landfills was an important consideration. "The bags have a bottom seal that is 100 times stronger than a traditional poly bag, and stronger and wider handles that make it easier for our baggers to carry to customers' cars, and for customers to carry into their homes," Hahn says. That added strength allows Hahn's employees to have confidence in putting more items in the bags, reduces the need to double bag heavy items, and uses many fewer bags overall, he notes. "It adds up to thousands of bags that can be eliminated on a yearly basis," Hahn says. The Hippo Sak bags consumers take home can also be re-used in the household as a five-gallon kitchen trash bag.

To further reduce the impact of grocery bags on the environment, Hahn's has also recently installed a bag recycling bin for customers to place plastic bags they have received at Hahn's Market or any other store. "Poly bags are 100 percent recyclable, and actually have a lower environmental impact than paper grocery bags" Hahn adds. "The tradition of being a 'good neighbor' can be traced back generations in our family business. Part of that tradition means being a good steward of the environment for future generations as well."