While conveniences are great some times one might end up paying heavily for them. We are now seeing the introduction of a worldwide ban on petrol/diesel engine cars and plastic - more especially single-use plastic shopping bags and alternatives such as the Nanobag 4.0, which is the object of this review.
A plastic shopping bag alternative is already available in the form of paper bags, disposable plastic shopping bags and re-usable shopping bags such as cotton shopping bags and jute shopping bags. Disposable plastic shopping bags can also be re-used and most people do, re-using them as bin bags and bicycle seat cover.
Shopping bags that made of cotton and jute are stronger and more durable than plastic and paper shopping bags. The only minor drawback with cotton/jute bags is that they cannot be compacted down like a plastic bag, making them not as convenient to stow away and carry around. The Nanobag 4.0 is designed to be a hybrid, integrating the portability of a plastic carrier bag and the durability of a cotton/jute bag.
Compared to a plastic bag and/or cotton/jute bag, the Nanobag 4.0 is actually much thinner (.05mm thick) than a shopping plastic bag. The material used to make Nanobag 4.0 is made of 37gsm nylon using diamond rip-stop weave to strengthen the fabric and prevent tears. 
Uncoated diamond ripstop fabric is naturally breathable but the Nanobag 4.0 does have a Durable Water Resistant (DWR) coating. Being made of nylon, Nanobag 4.0 is obviously not an organic product but, it is certified by the Oeko-Tex 100 standard not to have any added toxic chemicals. Oeko-Tex 100 is a certification similar to the Bluesign Standard that tells consumers harmful chemicals were not added to the product during the manufacturing process.
This is typically the case with many DWR coatings applied to fabrics for water resistance, which work well in the rain but leech off when washed. This is obviously a problem because these toxic chemicals then end up in our waterways. Other than heat printed decal, the Nanobag 4.0 bags are free from carcinogenic and allergenic dyes and toxic chemicals. 
Like most fabrics with some type of DWR coating, the DWR coating on the Nanobag 4.0 bags can tolerate a washing machine, although doing so does erode some of the water repellent coating. To preserve the water resistance, it's best doing a hand wash and letting the bag air-dry rather than tumble dry. You could tumble dry the Nanobag 4.0 on a low-cool setting, although you probably wouldn't want to do that because nylon may shrink with high heat.
Nanobag 4.0 is actually the fourth version of the original Nanobag, improving from the previous Nanobag versions with better quality and colorways. Nanobag 4.0 comes in four designs: standard Nanobag (pictured), Micro, Pack, Mini and Sling (pictured). The Nanosling bag weighs 20 grams, while the Nanobag weighs 23 grams. Nanobag is designed as a hand carrier bag but can be worn over the shoulder.
The Nanosling bag is designed to be carried just like a sling bag, across the chest but, it can also be used as a shoulder and hand carrier bag. The handle of the Nanosling bag measures 50cm tall, while the bag itself measures 33cm tall and 38cm wide with a maximum volume capacity of 19 litres. The standard Nanobag has the same dimensions as the Nanosling bag but with a shorter handle height (just 34cm long). Both bags can support up to 30kg in weight.
Nanobag 4.0 bags fold up into the included tiny little pouch, which is permanently sewn to the bags. The folding process takes a few seconds but has to be done in two stages: 1) roll up the bag like a piece of dough and 2) fold the roll like a parachute. Shoving the bags into their tiny little pouches doesn't seem to work as you end up with excess fabric.
The tiny pouches are made of the same nylon fabric and integrate a fabric drawstring to cinch up the pouch closed. The drawstring fabric doubles also as a lanyard too for hooking the Nanobags onto something. While the bags are in use, the tiny pouches can be used for storing small items like a flash drive or a pair of earbuds.
The idea of an eco shopping bag that folds into itself is not new but Nanobag 4.0 has managed to gather a lot of interest on Kickstarter. This is likely due to Nanobag's previous successful campaigns and also, because it is one of (if not) the smallest and lightest folding eco bags currently on the market.
Nanobag 4.0 also comes with trendy colorways that are bound to appeal everyone. Seeing that supermarkets charge for shopping bags, it makes more sense taking your own bags. It is said reusable shopping bags can be used up to 40 times before breaking, while Nanobag 4.0 has the potential of lasting many years.
It's good to know a massive initiative is being undertaken to minimize (and ban altogether) the use of plastic, starting with single-use plastics such as plastic wrappers and straws, which typically do not get reused by people. You can buy Nanobag 4.0 bags from Kickstarter and with every pledge a tree gets planted.
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