The humble cotton tote bag has become something of a fashion item, one that sends the message that certain brands are eco-conscious, but they are not as good for the environment as we think, says ...

If you only look at the climate change impact category—which is measured in kilograms of CO2 emissions—the reuse number for two organic cotton tote bags drops to 149, or 74.5 for one.

But tote bags have a high carbon footprint, too. In fact, reusing a single plastic bag three times has the same environmental impact as using a cotton tote bag 393 times.

Cotton tote bags, once hailed as the solution to reduce pollution from single-use plastic bags, are not as environmentally-friendly as brands claim due to overproduction, according to a report ...

But tote bags have a high carbon footprint, too. In fact, reusing a single plastic bag three times has the same environmental impact as using a cotton tote bag 393 times.