"Generally, the greater the proportion of post-consumer content in white or SBS paper, the weaker the paper (e.g., the paper will more easily tear (including scoring or cracking)). For this reason, conventional bags formed of SBS paper are made with 50% or less post-consumer content (usually 40% or less) ... To strengthen areas of the bag container, such as folds or gussets at its corners or edges, ... reinforcement inserts ... formed of the same material as the bag container ... can augment the strength and resistance to tearing of the bag container material to make it structurally suitable for use as a bag, thereby increasing the amount of post-consumer content usable ... Typical paper handles are stiff and inflexible; these qualities contribute to a rough, unfinished feel. ... the bag handle may be formed to have a feel and flexibility unlike that typical of paper ... To effect this feel and flexibility, the handle may be formed of knitted paper fibers in a tight-knit pattern with a large diameter. For example, the handle may be formed in an 8-stitch circular-knit pattern"
It may be that plenty of other bag manufacturers are doing the same thing, but it generally seems like a good idea. Novel enough to patent? I have no idea.