Italy’s first week without plastic bags ended this week – did they survive? As the first European country to set up a ban of one of the area’s most consumed product, shops are now required to offer only bags made of fabric, recyclable paper and a special biodegradable plastic. The ban gained international headlines for its shock value – Italians consume the most plastic bags in Europe, and many of those consumers weren’t too happy about the result come 2011.

“Every year each Italian uses 400 plastic bags, and Italy in total is responsible for 25 percent of all plastic bags that are used and produced in Europe,” said World Wildlife Fund spokesperson Eva Alessi. The government has become proactive in their approach to fix this consumption problem, promoting an awareness campaign that launched just before the New Year to introduce shoppers to natural and recyclable bags.

“This marks a key step forward in the fight against pollution and it makes us all more responsible in terms of recycling,” said Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo. The country consumers around a quarter of the 100 billion plastic bags imported from China, Thailand and Malaysia, making it one of the largest consumers in the world.

This ban, though consumers continue to oppose, will eventually change Italians’ overall environmental outlook. Undoubtedly, there will be a learning curve in this process, but if Italy wants to step up to its economic competitors like green cities Portland, Oregon; Curitiba, Brazil; and Vancouver; Canada the plastic bag has got to go.