by Joanna Abena Fianu – BAFTS Fair Trade Network UK’s Membership and Monitoring Co-ordinator
When Poppy from Trashy Bags applied to join BAFTS I explained that part of the application process is a new member visit. This means that one or more members of BAFTS staff or the Board spend some time with the member face to face, so we can get a better sense of who they are and how we can support them. This is usually at the UK premises of the member, but when Poppy asked if I would be visiting the Trashy Bags premises in Ghana I jumped at the chance.
We had planned a trip to visit my husband’s family in July 2024, and adding in a visit to Trashy Bags seemed like a great opportunity, so my husband, our driver and I headed out to visit Elvis at their premises.
On entering the leafy courtyard, Elvis approached us and introduced himself as the general manager. He has been running Trashy Bags for 16 years and had recently returned from a trip to Kenya where he attended a conference for African businesses with a sustainability focus. Elvis has a background in museum curation and archaeology so artefacts and the things we leave behind as a civilisation have always been of interest.
The business model is based on tackling the problem posed by the millions of plastic pouches used by Ghanaians who don’t have access to clean tap water. In the UK may be more used to drinking water from a plastic bottle – and most of us in the UK have at least one refillable water bottle, but in Ghana access to clean water is still not reliable, and most drinking water comes in the form of 500ml pouches. They are tricky to get the hang of, as the technique requires you to break a hole in one corner with your teeth and suck the water out. You have to hold it correctly to avoid spillage and most Ghanaians will drink the whole 500ml in one go, before discarding the empty pouch.
When I visited there were four women in the open air courtyard sitting under trees and sorting the bags, opening them out ready for use. The bags are supplied by charity partners all over Ghana who pay gatherers for each pouch they save from landfill. They are sewn together to create bags and pencil cases as well as the lining for fabric bags, backing for picnic blankets etc.
Patchwork is the basis for most of the Trashy bags designs, and the cutting and sewing rooms are light and airy with staff training provided so sewers develop their skills starting from easy designs and progressing to more complicated projects. They work with big brands to upcycle their advertising hoardings which are made from heavy duty plastic and make great branded tote bags. The fabric scraps come from seamstresses who work in Accra, and are paid to donate the scraps they are unable to use for garments. Scraps are cut into even squares and sewn together to make the distinctive designs.
From pencil cases and reusable shopping bags (which apparently hold 8kg of shopping!) to holdalls, laptop sleeves and washbags the Trashy Bags range has something for everyone. We are delighted that Trashy Bags is now a member of BAFTS Fair Trade Network UK and hope this will increase awareness and sales to support the staff and gatherers who rely on them for income.
To see the range check out the Trashy Bags website and if you’re a retailer you can become a stockist by contacting their UK agent Poppy poppy@trashybagsafrica.com
