Reusable Bags, a US-based company, was founded in 2002. It has been a leading force in the reusable movement and has been fighting the mindless over-consumption of “use & toss” items. Realising early on the absurdity of the prevailing disposables mentality, it inspired a grassroots movement towards more sensible, conscious consumption of disposables. Vincent Cobb, founder of reusablebags.com spoke to Priyalina Basu about the growing consumer demand for eco-friendly products.

Q) How receptive are buyers to using bags from what would otherwise have been “trash”? Is there a conscious effort to buy recycled stuff?

A) There is definitely an interest in bags made from recycled materials. Buyers of reusable bags are people who are already concerned with their impact on the environment, so they are very receptive to the idea of taking something that would be thrown away and putting it to better use. There are a lot of innovative, recycled fabrics coming to market that look just as good, if not better than virgin materials.

Take Eco-Circle fabric, for example. It is durable, has a gorgeous look and can be used in place of materials such as nylon. And, it’s made of recycled, post-consumer materials such as plastic bottles. The downside of this trend is that many recycled materials are virtually indistinguishable from virgin materials, so it opens the door for counterfeits in the market.

Q) Do you see the trend for this kind of products increasing?

A) Absolutely. More of these kinds of products are hitting the market, and consumers are interested. Another trend I have seen is “upcycling”, which is the repurposing of other types of materials into bags. It gives these materials a second life and is basically recycled material in its purest sense. For example, our reuseit rice bag totes are made from bags that hauled rice or other goods in freighters. With just a few cuts and stitches, the bag can be reused as a shopping bag and the original rice bag is kept out of the landfill. Because it still has the look, texture and strength of a rice bag, it’s a very unique product that customers love to carry. And, it’s incredibly durable. You can also find old billboards and juice boxes repurposed as bags.

Q) Are you planning to diversify your end-products?

A) Yes. Innovation and development are things we are very passionate about. The market and breadth of recycled materials are rapidly growing and evolving and so are we.