ABOUT US
As environmentally conscious teenagers, we have witnessed the transformation plastic has undergone – from magic to menace. Our collective desire to make a difference and reduce plastic use, led to the creation of Rags to Bags.
Increasingly, young people around the world are coming up with innovative solutions to problems that we must solve, and as the future leaders of tomorrow, we want to be at the forefront of this movement.
About Rags To Bags
Nearly 79% of the plastic made in the world enters India’s environment as waste. With the pandemic reaching our shores, not only did efforts to reduce plastic come to halt but with the increase in sales of gloves, masks, PPE kits and equipment the amount of single waste plastic use generated has increased ten-fold. If that wasn’t enough, with the economic slowdown unemployment started skyrocketing, reaching nearly 8% in 2020.
In an effort to correct this, Rags to Bags endeavours to promote a plastic-free culture across the entire country, whilst providing opportunities for underprivileged individuals to become financially independent. The pilot of our organization is based in Jaipur (Rajasthan) along with Mumbai (Maharashtra). We procure cloth in the form of donated clothing, which is then transported to Non-Profit Organisations that employ lower-income individuals, who are trained to turn the used clothes into bags. These bags are distributed to fruit and vegetable vendors in an attempt to reduce the emphasis on plastic bags.
Rags to Bags will go a long way in providing opportunities to several lakh women & urban poor who are unemployed while reducing plastic in the most populous cities in our country. Creating a sustainable future starts at home.
OUR TEAM
Shresht
Mangal
President
Samaira Mohunta
CEOKrish Sharma
Co-founderAvantika Naina Mohan
Co-founderEesh Mohan Lall
Co-founderTeena Deepak Bhatia
Co-founderWhat we do
Rags to Bags aims to reduce India’s plastic consumption by recycling old clothes into reusable bags.
Impact:
Step 1: Allows for the segregation of cloth from other waste for recycling as a reusable material.
Step 2: Brings jobs to the doorstep of people living in urban slums and empowers them to become financially independent and secure.
Step 3: Not only does our consumer receive a fashionable cloth bag for free, but also a multi-purpose bag with a longer lifetime.
Step 4: Through these 4 key steps, we have ensured that citizens, companies, retailers, corporates take the initiative in different aspects of the process, and derive a benefit from doing so as well.
Our process ensures everyone is a winner.
OUR PROCESS
Our process involves several steps that can be summarised into 3 key components.
Step 1: The cloth will be collected from individuals or industries, as donations collected at our collections centres.
Step 2: The cloth is sifted, washed, and sent to unemployed skilled workers to get stitched. Each person employed earns a wage per bag made, enabling them to earn a consistent income, especially during the uncertainty of the pandemic.
Step 3: The bags are given free of cost to kiosks, cart vendors, small retailers, and street vendors. Replacing plastic bags, without any financial burden on the vendors or the customers, is the first step on our long journey to making our planet plastic-free. Consumers reuse the bags when going to any market/store, instead of the plastic bags handed to them by the retailers.
OUR PROGRESS
Reusable Cloth Bags Made
Women & Urban Poor employed
We are very grateful to Sh.Jyotiraditya M Scindia Ji (Honourable Union Minister of Civil Aviation,Govt.of India for Launching our project Rags2bags on 11th October 2021.
MISSION & VISION
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide employment to financially indigent women while promoting a plastic free culture in India.
Vision Statement
We aim to use our business to promote a plastic free culture across India. We also hope to provide more women & urban poor with the opportunity to earn and be financially independent.
Get Involved
1. Volunteer:
Volunteers will receive a certificate of completion at the end of their term. Volunteers can also help campaign for cloth collection or help fund raise for Rags to Bags. They can also help with the distribution of bags to vendors. Through their volunteering experience at Rags to Bags, volunteers will gain experience about fundraising, curation and develop organisational skills. Rags to Bags is a sustainable solution to a problem that has been left to us to solve. Let’s solve it together.
2. Donate Now:
You can either donate clothes at one of our drop off locations or give us a monetary donation through the website itself.
(Donations Eligible Under Section 80G)
Bank Details
Account: Rajasthan Creative Alliance Network
Account Number: 679005601286
Bank Name: ICICI Bank
Bank Branch: Sahkar Marg, Jaipur
RTGS/NEFT IFS Code: ICIC0006790
LOCATIONS
MUMBAI
Flat no. 21, Viraj Bliss, 18th Road, Khar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400052
JAIPUR
Flat no. 103, Shizukesa, near hotel Hilton, Hawa Sadak, Jaipur, 302006
JAIPUR
15, Red Krishna House, Govind Bari, Brahmpuri, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302002
DELHI
C-115, Chandi Vithi Rd, C Block, Defence Colony, New Delhi, 110024
OUR SUPPORTERS
