Types and typical use of shopping bags vary by country:

In many European Union countries, plastic shopping bags are free and common into the 21st century, but their use is becoming less widespread, partly due to environmental legislation, which has led retailers to charge for single-use plastic shopping bags. Ireland, for example, imposed a dedicated plastic bag tax, thus forcing retailers offering plastic bags to charge for them.
Reusable shopping bags are increasingly used, e.g. in E.U. countries where use of single-use plastic shopping bags is in decline. Reusable bags are often made from jute cloth, also known as burlap in the U.S., but sometimes they are also made from plastic; however these reusable plastic bags are sturdier than single-use plastic shopping bags. In the U.S.

Manufacturers like it because it’s safe, strong, transparent and versatile. Customers choose it for its safety, light weight, resealability, shatter-resistance and recyclability. Up to 100% of a PET package can be made from recycled PET, and the material can be recycled again and again.

It’s used to make new bottles, but recycled PET can also be made into fiber for carpets; fabric for t-shirts or fleece jackets; fiberfill for sleeping bags, winter coats, and dog beds; industrial strapping; sheet and thermoformed (clam shell) packaging; and automotive parts such as headliners, bumpers, and door panels. PET has good barrier properties that protect and preserve the contents of its package. Different technologies can further enhance PET’s inherent barrier properties and offer greater protection to the natural properties of packaged products against oxygen migration and carbon dioxide.