‘Cement bags to backpacks’: Tanzania’s unique upcycling enterprise
DAR ES SALAM, Tanzania (MNTV)- A local entrepreneur in Tanzania is clearing two hurdles in one leap by transforming old cement bags into backpacks that include a small solar panel to power a reading light.
By clearing municipal waste and helping rural children study after dark, the bags won the backing of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for their problem-solving potential, reports ‘Good News Africa’ website.
Soma Bags employs 85 rural workers to satisfy a demand for 13,000 backpacks a month. They can’t meet it, but they do their best.‘Soma bags’ by Innocent James wins UNDP backing for being environment-friendly while promoting children’s education
This unique business model has been envisioned by Tanzanian Innocent James, who remembers studying for school by the light of a kerosene lantern.
More than 20 years later, many rural households still depend on this antiquated implement for lighting after dark.
It is expensive and somewhat dangerous to use. Many parents do not trust their children with a kerosene lantern, and so send them to bed without means to read books.
James’ ingenious solution was inspired by a university professor he met, who would carry around a solar panel to charge his phone sewn into the fabric of his jacket.
This gave James the idea to sew cheap, flexible solar panels onto the outside of bags to power a reading light.
He began making bags himself in 2016, sewing together around 80 per month and selling them for between 4 and 8 dollars’s worth in Tanzanian shillings.
This amounted to the same cost as running a kerosene lantern for about 15 days.
James’ fledgling business was supported by the UNDP’s Funguo Innovation Programme, which highlights collaborative efforts to promote sustainable solutions and educational opportunities in underserved communities.
The impact of Soma Bags has been tremendous, the UNDP reports. The bags have provided children with a reliable source of light that allows them to read at night. This has led to an improvement in academic performance.
The company generates revenue through bag sales and exclusive brand partnerships while significantly contributing to environmental conservation by repurposing up to 200,000 cement packing sacks monthly, preventing them from becoming street litter.
“There is a crop of young people [in Tanzania] who are coming up, and they have realized that they have to take the future into their own hands,” Joseph Manirakiza of the UNDP said. “Innocent represents a group of young people using their talent to do something meaningful.”
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