I suspect it's just an issue of phrasing.
Plastic bags were adopted in favor of paper largely because of cost, but companies also asserted moral superiority because they truly do use fewer resources, vastly less landfill. Especially when they are reused as bin liners or to pick up waste, plastic bags are vastly more environmentally friendly than any option.
To match one-time use plastic bags:
- polypropylene bags (most of the green reusable bags found at supermarkets) should be used 37 times
- paper bags should be used 43 times
- cotton bags should be used 7,100 times