2023 Entrants - Trashy Bags
Company Name Trashy Bags Africa
Products Entered Trashy School Bag, Trashy Pencil Case & Trashy Smart Bag
Tell us about your business?
Plastic pollution has quickly become one of the world's most serious environmental problems. This is especially evident in developing countries where the production rate of plastic has outpaced the ability to recycle or efficiently dispose of it.
In Western Africa, water sachets have become extremely popular with an average Ghanaian consuming 2-3 sachets every day with limited recyclable infrastructure.
Trashy Bags Africa identified a purpose for this waste material, creating climate-smart solutions by upcycling the reclaimed sachets bags into durable eco-friendly bags, helping to keep streets cleaner whilst reducing an impact on the environment.
Since its inception in 2007, the company has collected & upcycled approximately 30 million sachets with 200,000 plastic sachets being recovered & upcycled each month by over 30 full-time employees. Giving waste a value, supports the Government of Ghana's value to deliver a "Ghana Beyond Aid" by promoting a "Trade Not Aid" approach.
Trashy Bags Africa’s vision is to be Africa’s pioneer and leader in developing a commercial in addition to sustainable approach for waste material and single-use water sachets bags across Africa, whilst our mission is to alleviate Ghana and other Sub-Saharan countries from plastic waste by introducing sustainable means of recycling that produces eco-friendly commercially viable products that can be sold internationally.
Having established a successful commercial social enterprise, Trashy Bags Africa are now embarking on a growth plan to increase this venture to additional locations in Ghana as well as further African countries that are experiencing similar challenges in waste issues, addressing several of the UN’s key SDGs to protect the planet.
Tell us about the products you have entered
Being a small social impact company, we felt it is vital to show a range of products that Trashy Bags Africa produces from our School Bags and Pencil Cases to our fold-out Shopper Bags (Smart Bags) that can carry up to 18kg of weight. Each bag makes a significant contribution to the impact on plastic waste with bags using up to 70 sachets each.
Why did you choose to enter the GOTY competition? have you entered in the past and has it helped your brand grow?
GOTY awards are well recognised in the retail industry, giving one of the highest accolades a product can receive. This is the first year that we have entered GOTY since we launched the company internationally in September 2022.
What other products will you be bringing to market in 2023
TBA will be launching a number of additional products in 2023, including a lunchbox and yoga bag.
Where can your products be purchased https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TrashyBagsAfrica
Website https://www.trashybagsafrica.com/
Instagram handle @trashybagsafrica
Twitter handle @TrashyBags
Facebook handle @TrashyBags
