Paper vs plastic vs non-woven bag machines: which line to start

For a new Canadian bag plant in 2026, paper is the safest regulatory choice for retail carry-out bags, plastic film suits garbage, produce and industrial bags, and non-woven suits reusable shopping and promotional bags. Among machines for handled carry bags, plastic film lines are the fastest and most compact, paper lines the largest, and non-woven sits in between.

Three materials, three different machines

The three bag types share a name but little else on the shop floor. Each material is joined a different way, which is why no single machine makes all three.

• Paper bag machines unwind kraft or printed paper, glue a tube, cut it and fold and glue a bottom. Square bottom lines such as the Lilin LSB-330-R also make twisted rope handles and glue them on in the same pass. Light flat and V-bottom bags for counters run on separate, much faster machines.
• Plastic bag machines heat seal and cut polyethylene or polypropylene film made on a blown film line. A T-shirt machine such as the Hemingstone HM-1200V4A seals and punches carrier bags on up to four lanes.
• Non-woven bag machines weld polypropylene non-woven fabric with ultrasonic energy. The Oyang Smart 17 Leader forms box bags and welds on loop handles in one run.

Side-by-side comparison

Materials and what they mean for the bag

Paper

Paper bag lines are specified by paper weight. The Lilin LSB-330-R runs 60 to 170 g/m² kraft and the Oyang SMART17-AS 400 runs 80 to 140 g/m², both with square bottoms that let the bag stand open for packing. Light counter bags use 30 to 60 g/m² paper on machines such as the Oyang 16-C 510. Heavy printed board for gift and luxury bags, 120 to 300 g/m² on the Zenbo ZB 1200CS-430, is fed as single sheets rather than from a reel and runs at 50 to 80 bags per minute. Our guide to starting paper packaging production goes further.

Plastic film

Film gives the most bags per kilogram of material: T-shirt machines run HDPE from 0.008 mm. The trade-off is that you need a steady film supply, either rolls bought from a film plant or your own extrusion, which adds a much larger machine, resin handling and power. Film converters also have the widest range of non-carrier products: garbage bags on rolls, produce rolls, bread and garment bags, mailers and industrial liners.

Non-woven fabric

Non-woven bags are heavier and meant for reuse. Fabric weight and weld quality decide whether a bag survives repeated use, and box bag lines add a formed base that stands up in a trunk or on a checkout counter. Most converters buy the fabric on rolls, plain or pre-printed.

Markets and the Canadian rules

The federal Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations shape this choice more than any machine spec. As of 2026:

• Plastic film checkout bags designed to carry purchased goods may not be manufactured, imported or sold for use in Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) lists bags for garbage, organic waste, recycling and loose bulk food such as produce, candy, grains and nuts as outside the rules.
• Plastic fabric checkout bags, which include non-woven polypropylene, are treated as single-use and prohibited if they break or tear when used to carry 10 kg over 53 m 100 times, or after one wash under ISO 6330.
• Paper bags are not a category in the regulations.
• Export: a prohibition on making these items for export came into force on December 20, 2025, and on the same day the government proposed amendments to remove it. At the time of writing the consolidated text still contained no export exemption, so check the current position before planning export volumes.

The legal basis was challenged in court. The Federal Court set aside the order listing plastic manufactured items as toxic in November 2023, but the Federal Court of Appeal overturned that decision on January 30, 2026, and the regulations remain in force. An application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was filed in March 2026. Municipal bylaws can add their own bag rules. For detail, see our single-use plastics guide, and confirm your product with ECCC or your legal adviser.

Demand follows the rules. ECCC's guidance on alternatives notes that 96% of Canadian households used their own bags for grocery shopping in a 2021 Statistics Canada survey, and that reusable bags must be reused several times to keep an environmental advantage over single-use bags. For converters that points to three realistic markets: paper carry-out bags for restaurants, take-out and retail; durable reusable bags that meet the tests; and non-carrier plastic bags where film still fits.

Which line to start: a practical checklist

1. Name the buyers and the exact bags. A restaurant chain, a grocer and a municipal compost program need different bags and different machines.
2. Check the rules for that bag. A carrier bag, a garbage bag and a reusable shopper sit in different places in the regulations.
3. Map the material supply. Paper reels, film and non-woven fabric come from different suppliers and carry different freight and storage needs.
4. Size the building. A square bottom paper line with handles can be 12 to 16 m long and 13 to 22 tonnes; a T-shirt bag machine is under 9 m. Most imported lines are wired for 380 V, so read our 600 V power guide.
5. Count labour per bag. Inline handle units on paper and non-woven lines remove a separate handle step.
6. Plan printing. Decide whether you will print in-house or buy pre-printed reels, film or fabric.

Browse the full ranges of paper bag machines, plastic bag machines and non-woven bag machines to compare published specs model by model.