My Own Bag

My Own Bags solves three big problems. It reduces use of 'one time use' plastic bags, it reduces pollution by redirecting waste fabrics from being incinerated or dumped. It provides income to women in rural India who tailor these bags.

I propose countries look into waste fabrics - both used and unused and convert them to reusable bags. These bags should be made by women living  in regions with low employ-ability. Big global brands should step in and move to My Own bag instead of paper or plastic bags.

My bags reduce the pressure on the environment, aims to bring about a culture where everyone is involved in contributing to the environment, encompassing giant corporations to individuals.  Since making of the product requires minimal skills it is easy to replicate and multiply the business. 

Sifar Zaya and Nayi Disha have already replicated MOB model.

The challenges I face during requesting for these fabrics are explaining what I do, why it is important that they give me the fabrics instead of dumping or incinerating them, logistical support and transportation to rural areas. Over 300 retailers have been contacted and now some are happy to share on a regular basis. 

Some of the collected fabrics are not suitable for making a bag so I need to decide on how they can be put to some good use. 

Selling is the most challenging part largely because I am a school student with limited time and opportunity. I have sold over 1800 bags now. Sales have been made at school stalls, Christmas and community fairs and to corporate. My bags are now available at two local supermarkets. I need support to take the business online. Marketing and sales are my biggest challenges. 

The bags are priced at 100 Rupees (MRP). The production and logistic team together gets 50 Rupees of the 100. The rest of the profit is donated to a NGO or to support a good cause. We just donated 11000 to PMCares that provides relief to Covid-19 patients. 

The process of My Own Bag is as follows:

1. Waste, dead stock and unused fabrics are collected from various sources like designers, fabric shops etc.

2. The fabrics go through quality check for - fabric quality and possibility of color bleeding.

3. The fabrics are then sent to the women in rural Haryana. These women have been given simple non electric sewing machines and have been trained to use them.

4. The ready to sell bags come to me tailored, washed and folded.

5. The bags are then sold at various fairs, school events etc

The three women I have on my team live in a home with a single earning member and at least 3 other members with no income. The monthly income before they joined my project, did not exceed 130 dollars/month in any of these three homes.

Culturally and conventionally, these women are not allowed to step out of their homes to work. Out of the three two are students. Ritika has been able to fund her Biology Major education only because of this additional income and Puja, just won an all India art competition. 

Financial power enabled Ritika and Puja to continue their education. It gave them the impetus to step outside their homes and break cultural barriers. Ritika and Puja have turned from rebels to heroes in their little village. In the last one year I have had over 40 young women who have reached out to me to be a part of My Own Bag. Each of them want an opportunity to change their lives. Each of them want power, but with my sales being local and limited I feel helpless. 

As I think radically I request you to consider my humanitarian approach and distinguish it from a proverbial business approach. I am not looking for copyrights. I am looking for copycats. My business, unlike all others is not based on the foundation of profitability. If my business model must succeed it must have competition. Brands like Gap and H&M should use their own waste fabrics to make bags. I am looking for a revolution in the way plastic is used by individuals and companies across the world.

The USP of my solution is it benefits mankind and the planet. 

Unfortunately, my solution is made by using manual sewing machines that are traditionally a part of most Indian households. Domestic use washing machine currently sanitizes the products. 

I will soon be using the internet to sell the products. 

This technology is simple with minimal skill. The sewing machines are manual and hence does not require power. Minimal skill training is required to design the bag. 

One person uses at least one plastic bag daily. Tonnes of fabric is dumped or incinerated daily. 1700 My Own Bags have been sold already. 26000 tonnes of plastic is wasted, daily, in India alone. LDPE is a major contributor. My theory aims to eliminate LDPE use in my country and eventually across borders. The research paper in the link below provides information required. 

"Responses to Incentives to Reduce Plastic Bag Use’11

states that in developing countries, a blanket ban may
not be the best possible solution and 82% of the
consumers would switch from plastic bag use to own
bags if the former were priced explicitly."

https://www.teriin.org/sites/default/files/2018-06/plastic-waste-management_0.pdf

My project currently provides income to three women and two of these are students who pay their college fees from the bags. 

By December 2021 I aim at selling 30000 bags. I aim to bring government's attention towards weak policies and weaker implementations. I aim to bring about changes in the way of life by providing solution to the plastic problem. In 5 years I aim to tie up with big companies like GAP and H&M to provide them with waste fabric bags and eliminate the paper bags used by them currently. 

I need to get visibility, to get louder and to bring attention to the cause. I need support from big corporations. I need them to adapt to this change. I need more rural women working and breaking cultural and social barriers. I need new bills to be passed regarding fabric waste and redirection of the same.  

I am hoping Solve will provide me with some solution, platform or training to reach my goals. I am applying for Solve not for a prize but for a platform to learn, grow and give my ideas the wings it needs. I am also planning to make full use of my digital platform and launch my website. I am looking at partnerships with online stores for direct sales or for packaging their products in My Own Bag. 

5 including myself. 

Across India.

DMAI - Disease Management Association of India. I represent DMAI at schools across Delhi and NCR. I speak to students about the harmful effects of plastic bags to humans and to the planet.

Plastic Pollution Coalition - I learn about what various companies are doing and not doing to help the plastic pollution problems. I read about effectiveness of other projects across the globe. It also gives my project visibility through its various social media pages. 

My Own Bag is sold at 100 Indian Rupees each. It has been a not for profit organization. My investment is minimal. One hundred fifty thousand have been earned by these three women. I contributed 11000 to PMCares corona tragedy fund recently. 

Other details are mentioned earlier. 

The fabrics come to me for free. Over the years I have developed contacts with 3 large companies who generously donate all fabrics to me. Most households in rural India have a sewing machine already and hence no costs are involved there either. My costs are usually logistic costs: sending collected fabrics to the team and dispatching final product to point of sales. 

I need help to grow my seedling into a tree. I am confident Solve would be able to help me in some way. 

I want to form partnerships with fashion and non-fashion brands. I can develop products for specific requirements of companies where it is possible to replace the plastic packaging with cloth packaging. I need marketing and media support for the same. I am in class X and am pressed for time. I need help with sales and spreading awareness along side the sales.  

Top Clothing Brands: Provide them with cloth shopping bags made from new waste fabric.

Amazon or Myntra: To deliver various products in cloth bags.