The history and growing popularity of paper bags.

• The origins of paper bags
• The turbulent packaging industry – paper bags and their roots
• People related to the history of paper bags
• Improvement of the paper bag production process
• The time of greatest popularity

The origins of paper bags

It is assumed that paper bags appeared in the Bristol area in 1844. It even sounds very likely, but the truth is that the Chinese are responsible for creating a product without which it is hard to imagine shopping nowadays. They were the ones who used sheets obtained from mulberry bark. They were used for packaging – most often food products. So can these be considered the first paper bags? Let's take a closer look at this whole story

People related to the history of paper bags

An extremely important figure in this story is Francis Wolle, it was he who patented the first machine for the production of paper bags, which at that time were very similar in appearance to those used today. His name is remembered in history, but how did it happen?

It all started in the United States, specifically in 1852, when a patent for a machine for producing paper bags came into force. A few years later, exactly in 1869, Wolle decided to establish a company called the Union Paper Bag Company – Francis did not operate on his own, he cooperated with his brother, thanks to which the company brought more and more profits, and the effects of production were visible not only in the USA, but also in France and England. The development was really fast, which allowed us to expand our operations to production plants in other cities; in 1935, a factory was opened in Savannah, which employed 500 people. Interestingly, the factory is still operational.

The time of greatest popularity

Let's go back to the early 20th century – that's when paper bags flourished and were the most popular. All this, of course, thanks to a certain man responsible for creating an even more improved production machine – Charles Stilwell. He refined paper bags to such an extent that their bottoms became stiff enough to allow the bags to stand straight. That's not all, of course. Stilwell entered the commercial sector very intensively – it showed that paper bags are perfect for sales, for example as a way of packaging groceries. Charles convinced Walter H. Deubner of his theory, who was the first store owner to introduce the possibility of using paper bag.

Walter modified the bag slightly. He made two holes in it and put a ribbon through them. This is how handles were created that made it possible to easily carry groceries right to the door of the house. Later, paper handles were added and printed bags began to appear, but this is a topic for another article.

The turbulent packaging industry – paper bags and their roots

The Chinese are famous for liking to keep their inventions to themselves – which is not surprising, as they are pioneers in many fields. Unfortunately, before something reaches Europe or America, some time must pass – perhaps not in times when electronics are available and sending a photo takes just a few seconds, but in the 2nd century, when paper bags were in their infancy, it was not that easy. Several centuries passed before Chinese packaging reached other countries. Along the way, there was one more problem – material. In China, bags were made from bark, and when they arrived in Europe (this was in the 19th century) another material had to be found that would allow bags to be produced locally. The decision was made to use wood pulp, and when necessary – linen and other fibers that happened to be at hand were used.

Improvement of the paper bag production process

A woman also made history in paper bags. It was Margaret Knight – called by many the "female Edison", thanks to her creative, open mind. As a young lady, Margaret constructed many useful items, such as sleds and kites, for her younger brothers. Her inventions allowed her to obtain a total of 26 patents and play a special role in the production of paper bags. She is responsible for the modification paper bags, or more precisely, their improvement. In 1870, Knight constructed a machine for producing gusset and block bags. Her invention made the entire process comprehensive – the machine cut, folded and even glued paper bags. It was a really big breakthrough.