Thanks for the great coverage and kind words! Don’t worry these bags are made from 100% reused bags, collected at various Target locations and through store returns. No brand new bags were harmed in the making of your reTote :o)

I saw these at Target recently and just wasn’t that impressed with the bags. On the other hand, I was easily talked into a whole foods bag this weekend (having forgotten my baggu) as their cotton bags were marked down to $0.99 (plus the reusable bag discount on my order).

thats cool it makes me want target even more….

I saw Tom Szacky of TerraCycle speak a month or two ago and these bags, while not especially aesthetically pleasing, are made by expending as little new energy as possible. The old target bags aren’t technically even recycled, just reused, as they’re not melted down and then formed into something new, they’re simply pressed together to create sturdier walls.

Guess this is why Timbuk2 got the cease & desist.

DIY it. there is a tutorial on this at etsy.com

You can do something very similar by layering five or six plastic bags, putting a piece of parchment paper on top (NOT wax paper) and ironing over it. The bags melt into each other, creating a really strong piece of plastic fabric that really can only be cut/punctured by something sharp (scissors, pointy objects). Works well for bags, wallets, etc.