Zelvensky needlewoman found a replacement for polyethylene

What do you think, in what year should a plastic bag have been created so that by now it will completely decompose? In the era of Francis Skorina — in the XVI century! As for the current «enlighteners», among them there are many fighters for saving ecosystems (which is only the position of Greta Tunberg!). What about the Zelens? There are stories here. 16-year-old Anastasia Tovarevich, for example, decided to do sewing eco bags.

First stitches

In autumn, the girl completed her studies at the Profi business school. At the end of the course, each of the students had to submit a startup.At the very beginning, it was decided that my project would be directed in an ecological direction. Different ideas came to mind, but settled on the idea of ​​creating eco-bags. Sewing of these products is not common in our area. So I decided that I would not only benefit nature and society, but also attract an even greater number of fellow countrymen to eco-movement, ”says Anastasia.

The girl made her first shopper (shopping bag) with her godmother. Having filled her hand, she began to spend from two to five hours on the manufacture of each of the accessories. For three months, Anastasia sewed to order ten bags.

To establish full-fledged production, I need a good sewing machine. Now, unfortunately, I have to borrow equipment. Certain costs require the purchase of threads and fabrics. By the way, I usually use cotton or linen, ”she says. — But the most important thing in the workflow is the attitude. As for product design, I’ll think over the concept of the drawing myself or be inspired by the finished work in Pinterest and Instagram photo services. Although sometimes customers come with ready-made sketches.

Biodegradable does not mean short-lived

How long have we been using a plastic bag purchased at the store? On the strength of a couple of minutes. Then the packaging is sent to a landfill, where thousands of tons of plastic continue to «poison» the soil. Do biodegradable bags solve the problem? There is a catch: they turn into organic matter only under special conditions. In turn, paper bags are of little resource, as they are torn quickly.What are the advantages of eco bags? Firstly, it will last a long time. Secondly, you can spend on sewing it on fabric that is unnecessarily, or old clothes, ”Anastasia notes. — For example, if you have a sweater that, although you don’t wear it, is a pity to throw it away, you can breathe new life into it! In the West, this principle is called “zero waste”.

According to the girl, the eco bag is spacious and light, does not take up much space — it can easily fit in a handbag, it is strong — it can withstand up to 10 kilograms, it is affordable — Anastasia sells each unit for an amount of about 7-16 rubles.

Not a sack, but a shopper, not a string bag, but a fruit bowl

“In fact, today’s fruit-bakers are nothing but mesh bags from the Soviet era with which our grandmothers went to the grocery store,” the girl states. — Nevertheless, world-famous designers, drawing public attention to environmental issues, prove that a banal string bag is a stylish and practical accessory. An eco-bag for the current generation is a trend: fashionable, environmentally friendly, conceptual.

Zelvenchanka shares her work in her Instagram account “myeco.by”.