I never really thought about bags before. Plastic bags were just there — you buy something, they hand it to you in one, you take it home, and toss it in a drawer or the trash. That was the routine. But in the last couple of years, something started to shift. I began noticing fewer plastic bags at the checkout counters and more reusable ones, especially jute bags. You see them hanging behind the cash counter or folded neatly in someone’s shopping trolley. Jute bags in Abu Dhabi have quietly become part of the daily rhythm for a lot of people, including me.
The first time I got one, I wasn’t even looking for it. It came free with a local organic brand’s products. I didn’t think much of it, but I kept it. A week later, I grabbed it to carry some vegetables from the supermarket. Then again, when I had to carry my lunch to work. It just stuck around. Still using it. Still strong. It’s funny how some things slowly become habits without you realising.
I’ve started noticing more stores in Abu Dhabi making the switch, too. A bakery I visit in Mussafah stopped using plastic completely. They now hand over loaves and pastries in paper or jute. At first, some customers complained. Change is never easy, I get that. But after a month or two, people didn’t just accept it — they started bringing the same bags back. It became a bit of a loop — people using the same bag, over and over, week after week. It wasn’t a trend. It was just… normal.
The thing about jute is that it lasts. It doesn’t tear, it doesn’t crumple, and you don’t throw it away after one use. It gets folded, reused, and passed on. In a city like Abu Dhabi, where convenience is everywhere, choosing something reusable is a quiet act of responsibility. You’re not shouting about being sustainable — you’re just making a small change that sticks.
Sometimes I see tourists walking with printed jute bags. I’ve even seen some with Abu Dhabi landmarks on them — like the Grand Mosque or the Corniche. Souvenirs that get used. That’s another shift: stuff with purpose, not just plastic-wrapped memorabilia.
Of course, jute bags alone won’t fix the environment. But they’re a start. One less plastic bag per person per day — that adds up over time. When you see people using jute bags in Abu Dhabi now, it’s not just about style or branding. It feels more like a quiet, collective decision. One that says, “We’re trying.”
It’s not perfect. But it’s real. And that matters.
