Apple Now Files Patent For Paper Bag

Apple is celebrated for its design aesthetics -  Mac, iPod, and iPhone are just some of its products with revolutionary designs. But Apple seems to have an idea to reinvent the boring paper bag!

A patent filing by the company was published this month, which was originally filed in March when Apple shifted from plastic bags to paper bags at its retail stores, offers its new ideas for a paper bag.

The filing lists the different ways in which Apple has introduced innovations to a paper bag.

While this would seem odd to many, according to Apple it has had to develop several brand-new features to ensure that the bag it creates is sturdy considering the extent of recycled material it wants to use. Apple highlights that the new product is a bag that is made of "white paper with at least 60 percent post-consumer content" meaning it is recycled paper and is made from solid bleached sulfate (SBS) paper.

Apple says in its filing that most white-colored paper bags use a lesser percentage of recycled paper because bleached paper often makes the bags weaker. When SBS paper has more than 40 percent - 50 percent of recycled paper it becomes too weak for use in  a bag, especially when it needs to be folded multiple times or have shaped configurations.

The designers at Apple have created a design for paper inserts that is likely to offer support and strengthen the weak points of a bag. Apple has stated in its filing that such a design would reduce environmental impact from its production, usage, and disposal.  

Another innovative feature is in its handles. Handles, of course, support the entire weight of the bag and so they, not surprising play a key role in the bag's durability. Though entirely by paper, Apple's bags will be formed with knitted paper fibers with a tight-knit pattern. Apple designers believe that this will ensure that the handles feel smooth and have flexibility like a shoelace, unlike common bags that have coarse-feeling handles.