infiniTIES Bags at 

Edwin’s Gift Shop 

The Future of Sustainable Gift Bags and Gift Wrapping 

By: Cam Aldrich 

 
May 16th, 2019

 
Executive Summary 
 
What are infiniTIES and what are its advantages?  
infiniTIES are revolutionary, creative, and fully-sustainable gift bags 
aimed at reducing the amount of paper waste consumed during gift 
wrapping. Each stylish bag is created with 100% cotton, hand dyed with 
vibrant environmentally-friendly colors, and printed with an “∞” logo to 
solidify brand visibility. infiniTIES provides a solution that is cost 
effective and eco-friendly that will not only yield positive results for 
Edwin’s business; but, will perpetuate the sustainable practice of 
reusing gift bags in order to greatly decrease unwanted paper waste in 
landfills across the country. 
 
Why is this new product relevant? 
Edwin’s Gift Shop is a business that sells jewelry, handbags, home 
decor, baby gifts, and clothing. Each item sold is packaged in a 
single-use paper or plastic bag that will eventually be disposed of after 
the buyer re-wraps or uses the product. 
 
During the year, especially around the holidays, Edwin’s Gift Shops 
uses tens of thousands of paper and plastic bags that will ultimately 
end in landfills, polluting the earth. infiniTIES eliminates the need for 
unwanted waste with its reusable design that can be a gift bag as well 
as gift wrapping. 
 
People​: infiniTIES is an opportunity for Edwin’s Gift Shop to push its 
customers to make sustainable decisions in their everyday lives grow 
its network of customers. The adaptability and usefulness of the 
product can be needed for almost any consumer, additionally 
improving customer loyalty.   
 
Planet​: Each reusable bag used to sell or wrap a gift will result in 
numerous pieces of unwanted paper and plastic be disposed of. 
Customers can buy and reuse the infiniTIES year after year for their 
families and loved ones, directly and efficiently reducing severe 
negative environmental impacts.  
 
Profits:​ By selling each infiniTIE at a price of $2 with each gift purchase, 
Edwin’s Gift Shop will be able to yield a profit of $20,166.32 in a year if all 
12,500 bags sell. Replacing paper bags with infiniTIES will not only 
encourage sustainable change but will greatly improve Edwins’ profits.  

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Background of the Issue  
 
Landfills in Massachusetts 
In 2010, Massachusetts landfills accounted for more than 3.5 million 
tons of paper and cardboard waste. While this statistic appears 
staggering, paper and cardboard makes up the highest quantity of 
waste per landfill, with the plastic waste at only 600,000 tons. Single-use 
paper bags are not as sustainable as consumers are lead to believe in 
today’s society. The current assumption about paper bags are that 
they decompose faster than plastic bags; although, this is true under 
normal conditions, landfills do not have ideal weather conditions. 
 
Figure 1.  

 
 
Paper Bags at Edwin’s 
Each year Edwin’s uses approximately 25,000 single-use paper bags to 
package their products to sell to their customers. According to Figure 
1., that is approximately 3,500 lbs (1.5 tons) of paper bags disposed of 
every year, making up 179,700 cubic inches of space in a landfill. For 

 
reference, an average American uses more than approximately 700 
pounds of paper products per year of living.

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Background of the Issue 
 
In order to reduce this staggering amount of waste, Edwin’s should 
convert to infiniTIES reusable bags that are made from 100% 
biodegradable cotton. infiniTIES will not only drastically reduce the 
amount of paper waste Edwin’s uses per year, but also gradually 
reduce the amount of paper waste produced by each household each 
year.  
 
The National Impact 
Every year over 300 million tons of paper products are produced in the 
United States.Paper and paper byproducts account for nearly 41% of 
the garbage generated in national landfills year after year. Almost half 
of the United States’ garbage is related to paper and although it is 
easily recyclable, only 25% of the paper is recycled annually. 
 
Figure 2. Figure 3. 

 
 
Paper bags also are much more detrimental to the environment. Paper 
bags create more than 70% more pollutants in the oir than plastic 
bags. Additionally, paper bags produce 50% more toxic pollutants in 
the water than plastic bags do. From an energy standpoint, it requires 
almost 93% less physical energy to recycle plastic bags than it does to 
fully recycle a paper bag. Not only are paper bag waste affecting the 
integrity of the earth but it is potentially negatively affecting the 
physical global health of humans. 
 

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Project Description 
 
Sell infiniTIES reusable bags that can be used to package 
all gift sizes and reused by families at home for gift 
wrapping, as a replacement for disposable paper bags, 
paper gift wrapping, and tissue paper. 
  

 
 
Edwin’s Gift Shop will offer infiniTIES reusable bags for its customers to 
package their gifts upon purchase for a $2 additional fee. infiniTIES 
look like the picture above, with 100% cotton and a printed “∞” on each 
bag. 
 
Once the customer has purchased the bag they can use it to re-gift 
any item in the future for anniversaries, holidays, and even birthday 
presents. Customers may also bring in their infiniTIES bags to Edwin’s 
during future visits and will not be required to need another bag for 
packaging.  
 
Each infiniTIE bag sold will result in one less single-use paper bag 

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being disposed of in regards to Edwin’s Gift Shop. Over time this will 
greatly reduce the amount of paper waste produced by the business 
as well as by the households of all its customers.   
   

 
Project Description 
 
Benefits for the Environment 
Selling the infiniTIE reusable bag as option for customers will 
significantly change the paper waste production at Edwin’s Gift Shop. 
Each infiniTIE bag will ensure that another paper bag is not disposed 
of improperly and ends up in a landfill polluting the air and water. 
Ultimately, over the period of 10 to 20 years there will be a large 
reduction of paper waste which will greatly improve the integrity of the 
earth. 
 
Benefits for Edwin’s Gift Shop   
By offering the infiniTIEs reusable bags as an additional $2 fee at 
checkout, Edwin’s Gift Shop will be able to produce a large profit of 
approximately $20,166.32. Over time customers will continually use their 
bags at purchase which will further reduce overall costs of purchasing 
more infiniTIEs bags, while still yielding very large profits. 
 
Benefits for the Overall Community 
Adapting sustainable habits, such as recycling and reusing old bags, 
are fantastic attributes to all consumers. Families in households will be 
able to reuse their infiniTIEs bags for anniversaries, birthdays, and 
holidays for many years to come. The inclusion of infiniTIEs bags at 
Edwin’s Gift Shop will perpetuate positive sustainable changes in and 
outside of the business, greatly impacting communities everywhere. 
 
Plan for Integration 
1. Order 12,500 infiniTIES reusable bags from infiniTIE, Inc.​ Buying 
12,500 is half as many as Edwin’s Gift Shop uses during the year to 
test for demand and estimate that some customers won’t want to 
pay the additional $2 fee. 
2. Sell the infiniTIEs bags at checkout for $2.​ Edwin’s Gift Shop sells 

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 a variety of high end and brand labeled products, like S ​ cout​, ​Alex 
and Ani​, and ​Vera Bradley​, so the additional $2 fee at checkout 
will be very feasible for conscious consumers. 
3. Advertise infiniTIEs push for sustainability.​ Putting a direct 
emphasis on the need for sustainable change will allow 

 
consumers to recognize the importance of the bag’s purchase 
and ultimately its various additional capabilities. 

Cost Analysis 
 
Total Cost of Paper Bags 

Bag   Cost per   Bags  Total  

Size  Unit  Ordered  Cost 
per Year 

Small  12 cents  8,333  $999.96 

Medium  15 cents  8,333  $1,249.95 

Large  22 cents  8,333  $1,833.26 

Total     25,000  $4,083.17 

 
With the addition of the infiniTIEs reusable bags initiative, there will 
actually be no need to purchase more paper bags. Upon estimation 
and research with the owners, almost all consumers will choose to 
purchase the infiniTIEs bag for $2. The cost analysis of the paper bags 
is strictly to show how infiniTIEs bags are much more efficient and 
useful, for only a slightly higher cost.   
 
Total Cost of infiniTIES 

Bag   Cost per   Bags   Total  

Size  Unit  Ordered per  Cost 
Year 

Small  26 cents  4,167  $1,083.42 

Medium  35 cents  4,167  $1,458.45 

Large  43 cents  4,167  $1,791.81 

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       12,500  $4,333.68 
 
Since the infiniTIES will be an optional purchase for $2 with the 
addition of each gift, the estimation, with help of the owners of Edwin’s 
Gift Shop, is that only half as many bags will be sold. 
 

Cost Analysis 
 
Initially, the cost of the infiniTIES bags are a more expensive 
alternative to the paper bags. However, the paper bags are given out 

yielding a much higher revenue and profit for Edwin’s Gift Shop. 
 
 
for free while the infiniTIES will be sold at a standard price, therefore 

Total Revenue of infiniTIES 

   Price   Quantity of  Total  

per bag  Bags  Revenue 

Bags All Sizes  $2  12,500  $25,000 

 
The price point of $2 was decided upon to make sure that it is 
affordable enough for consumers to make the purchase. Also, it 
accounts for loyal customer that come back into the store to reuse 
their infiniTIE bags without having to buy another, while the company 
can still remain profitable and sell all of their bags.  
 
Total Profit with infiniTIES 

Revenue Generated  $25,000 

Cost of infiniTIES  $4,333.68 

Marketing Costs  $500 

Profit on infiniTIES  $20,166.32 

 
 
 
 

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Assessment 
 
How will the impact be measured? 
The goal of the infiniTIEs reusable bags initiative at Edwin’s Gift Shop is 
to benefit three main parties: the environment, the business, and the 
overall community. The impact of the initiative will be measured with 
two types of short surveys: one online survey and one in-person 
physical survey. 
 
Depending on what is easiest for the customer, they can either fill out 
the physical survey in Edwin’s Gift Shop during checkout or an online 
survey that will be sent out to customers emails. 
 

 
 
Short Term Goals 
Build recognition for the infiniTIES brand and begin to mention to 
customers that the bags will soon be sold. Encourage customers to tell 
their friends and family about the infiniTIES bags and how they can 
influence the environment and the community. As the bags arrive, 
begin to sell the infiniTIES to customers for a $2 with purchase to being 
the growth of future profit. 
 
Long Term Goals 
Solidify the use infiniTIES bags for all purchases at Edwin’s Gift Shop 
and encourage other retail stores use the same products. Additionally, 
encourage consumers to reuse their infiniTIES for packaging their 
other gifts for anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays. Ultimately, help 

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inspire customers to go out and make more sustainable change in 
their everyday lives, from recycling to eating plant-based products. 
 
 
People → Product → Planet 

Conclusion 
 
Overall the project is aimed at reducing the million 
tons of toxic paper waste that fills the landfills in 
the United States today. Edwin’s Gift Shop has a 
remarkable opportunity to begin an initiative that 
will encourage sustainable everyday-habits while 
being largely profitable for the business. As a 
unique retail store with very little online reach it will 
be refreshing for consumers to see an innovative 
change that will set an individual precedent for 
businesses everywhere. 
 
“There is no such thing as ‘away.’ When we 
throw anything away it must go somewhere.” 
-Annie Leonard   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Appendix [A] 
 
TO:  Mr. Edwin Aldrich   
FROM:  Cam Aldrich   
DATE:  May 16, 2019   
SUBJECT:  infiniTIES Initiative Notice 
 
Dear Mr. Edwin Aldrich, 
 
It is with great pleasure to announce that the infiniTIES reusable bags 
initiative has been approved and we will be launching the product very 
soon! 
 
This new product will encourage some significant sustainable changes 
for the environment, the overall community of Franklin, Massachusetts 
and beyond, and most importantly the profitability of your wonderful 
retail business. 
 
We would love to have a meeting this Wednesday morning with your 
entire staff to go over some important aspects of the infiniTIES 
product. This product is one of the first of its kind to be sold in a retail 
store and is sure to impact future dynamic generations of conscious 
consumers for years and years to come. Our initial integration strategy 
is as follows: 
  
1. Order 12,500 infiniTIES reusable bags from infiniTIE, Inc. 
  
2. Sell the infiniTIEs bags at checkout for $2. 
  
3. Advertise infiniTIEs push for sustainability. 
 
Our upcoming meeting on Wednesday we will discuss each of the steps 
of our strategy at length with the employees to make sure everyone is 
on the same page. 
 

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I’m so glad to start working with you, your business, and excited for the 
future of infiniTIES! Feel feel to reach me at (508) 954 6176 or 
caldrich@scu.edu for any questions or concerns. 
 
Best regards, 
Cam Aldrich 

Appendix: Works Cited 

 
The Truth About Paper Bags. (2018, March 28). Retrieved from
https://www.reusethisbag.com/articles/the-truth-about-paper-bags/ 
 
Wicker, A. (2018, December 17). I Tested These 15 Eco-Friendly Gift Wrap 
Ideas. Here Are My Favorites! Retrieved from
 
https://ecocult.com/15-eco-friendly-gift-wrap-ideas-that-look-chic-not-
cheap/ 
   
Shrinking a Landfill -- Paper and Cardboard. (n.d.). Retrieved from 
http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/landfill/paper.phtml 
 
Harmony. (2016, July 21). 12 Recycling and Sustainability Quotes. 
Retrieved from ​https://harmony1.com/recycling-sustainability-quotes/ 
 
(n.d.). Retrieved from ​http://edwinsgifts.com/index.html   
 
Paper Waste is Ruining the Environment. (2017, March 02). Retrieved 
from 
https://www.mrrooter.com/about/blog/2017/march/paper-waste-is-ruin
ing-the-environment/ 
 
Massachusetts Landfills, Transfer Stations, Compost Sites & Recycling 
Facilities. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.mass.gov/lists/massachusetts-landfills-transfer-stations-c
ompost-sites-recycling -facilities  

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