The history of the paper bag

Monday, September 12, 2011

History of the Paper Bag
Ah, the unpretentious paper grocery bag. Where would we be without it? Well, there was a time when we were without it. Just like toothpick, the shoelace and the umbrella, necessity facilitates invention and the paper grocery bag is no different.
In 1871, a cotton mill worker from Springfield, Massachusetts named Margaret Knight came up with the idea. She invented a machine that folded and glued paper to form a flat bottomed brown paper bag, similar to what we use in grocery stores today.

Inventing the grocery bag was an idea that she was passionate about, but getting credit for it, well that was another story. In order to apply for a patent she needed a working iron model. She found a shop to build the model, but while it was being created, someone saw the model and stole her idea. He then applied for the patent himself. Margaret was not the type to let go so easily. She filed and won a Patent Interference Lawsuit, and the paper grocery bag making machine was hers again. She went on to establish the Eastern Paper Bag Company and received royalties for years. Still not one to sit on her laurels Margaret lived a busy life inventing, and by the time she passed away at the age of 76, she had 87 US Patents in her name.

Not to one-up Margaret but people are always looking for a way to build a better mousetrap, and that was the case of Walter H. Deubner in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1912, this grocery store owner realized that all of his customers only bought as much as they could carry. So he figured correctly, if they could carry more in their grocery bag, they would buy more. Walter got to work improving the paper bag. He devised a way to reinforce the paper with a cord that ran through the bag and also served as a handle. The Deubner Shopping Bag could carry up to 75 pounds, and by 1915 he had patented the bag and was selling them for 5¢ each at a rate of more than 1 million per year. In today’s dollars that would be roughly $1.12 per bag.

Deubner did not know it at the time, but his grocery bag, which was reusable, was a step in the Green direction. And as long as consumers continue to demand easy customer-carrying options at the checkout counter, the recyclable paper bags remains the environmentally-friendly sustainable resource that has been around since Margaret invented the bag making machine back in 1871.

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	View the News Archive The history of the paper bag Paper Lunch Bags for the Enviro-student Duro Bag Names Three New Senior Executives Paper is Greener Than You Think Introducing the Full-front Window Panel Bag 100% Recycled Handle Bags	The history of the paper bag Monday, September 12, 2011 History of the Paper Bag Ah, the unpretentious paper grocery bag. Where would we be without it? Well, there was a time when we were without it. Just like toothpick, the shoelace and the umbrella, necessity facilitates invention and the paper grocery bag is no different. In 1871, a cotton mill worker from Springfield, Massachusetts named Margaret Knight came up with the idea. She invented a machine that folded and glued paper to form a flat bottomed brown paper bag, similar to what we use in grocery stores today. Inventing the grocery bag was an idea that she was passionate about, but getting credit for it, well that was another story. In order to apply for a patent she needed a working iron model. She found a shop to build the model, but while it was being created, someone saw the model and stole her idea. He then applied for the patent himself. Margaret was not the type to let go so easily. She filed and won a Patent Interference Lawsuit, and the paper grocery bag making machine was hers again. She went on to establish the Eastern Paper Bag Company and received royalties for years. Still not one to sit on her laurels Margaret lived a busy life inventing, and by the time she passed away at the age of 76, she had 87 US Patents in her name. Not to one-up Margaret but people are always looking for a way to build a better mousetrap, and that was the case of Walter H. Deubner in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1912, this grocery store owner realized that all of his customers only bought as much as they could carry. So he figured correctly, if they could carry more in their grocery bag, they would buy more. Walter got to work improving the paper bag. He devised a way to reinforce the paper with a cord that ran through the bag and also served as a handle. The Deubner Shopping Bag could carry up to 75 pounds, and by 1915 he had patented the bag and was selling them for 5¢ each at a rate of more than 1 million per year. In today’s dollars that would be roughly $1.12 per bag. Deubner did not know it at the time, but his grocery bag, which was reusable, was a step in the Green direction. And as long as consumers continue to demand easy customer-carrying options at the checkout counter, the recyclable paper bags remains the environmentally-friendly sustainable resource that has been around since Margaret invented the bag making machine back in 1871.