Used to be bag[bag?:bag paper pattern sample cutting machine] options at the store were paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine] or plastic[plastic?:Plastic sample cutting machine]. Now shoppers can choose cloth bags, too. They may have another alternative: rock. Shopping bags and boxes from gift stores at New York's Museum of Modern Art, bags from personal-care company Erno Laszlo, and packaging[packaging?:DCP-H series packaging sample cutter plotter] of consumer products from Burt's Bees look, feel, and fold like paper, but they're made of crushed stone.
The treeless paper, manufactured in Taiwan and sold under the TerraSkin brand, is three parts recycled calcium carbonate—the same mineral in marble and limestone—and one part polyethylene binder. Production requires no water or bleach and only half the energy needed to make traditional paper. The material is durable; tote bags can be used over and over. It is also recyclable. And TerraSkin breaks down into a talcum-like powder if exposed to sunlight and humidity long enough.
Its limitation: Price. Though the raw materials are cheap, sales volumes are low so its manufacturer has to make it in small batches. As a result, it typically wholesales for at least 8% more than packaging paper.
