Even though the use of plastic bags has been banned, these environmental hazards can still be found in supermarkets and local grocery stores across the country. Bothered by this, 23-year-old Sashikanth Kaja decided to do something of relevance that could bring about serious social change.
The final-year CA student, who has always been passionate about the environment, launched a social enterprise called Rewheel in a bid to reduce the use of plastic bags.
It was during his research that Sashikanth found out that the cost factor is the major reason why people continue to use plastic bags. “People find it expensive to use cloth bags while shopping. They would rather spend 3 to 5 rupees on a plastic bag than around 150 rupees on a cloth one,” he points out, adding, “Also, cloth bags are not available at all the purchase points. So, I’ve introduced affordable cloth bags for as low as '25 for a single piece and '18 when bought in bulk.”
Commendable as his initiative is, cloth bags have yet to establish a market for themselves even though they have been around for a long time. So what does the founder of Rewheel do to keep the price low? “To manufacture at this cost, we had to eliminate all the mediators and start the production ourselves. I stopped outsourcing workers and bought cotton from Tamil Nadu as it’s relatively cheaper there. I’ve also employed three individuals,” he says.
“We don’t compromise on quality and the bags are made from 100 per cent cotton,” adds Sashikanth, who also carries out clean-up drives in the city.
Starting a social enterprise was not easy to begin with. That was when UnLtd Hyderabad came into the picture and helped him get in touch with the right people and funded the start-up. UnLtd Hyderabad funds and supports those start-ups that can bring about a solution to the social problems in our country. With financial help from them, Sashikanth started a small-scale industry with just a sewing machine and three women.
City supermarkets are already showing interest in Sashikanth’s idea and the youngster is also in talks with the various IT firms in Hyderabad, trying to convince them to start using the cloth bags. Because two years from now, he hopes that at least 20 per cent of the city’s supermarkets will start selling cloth bags so that the use of plastic bags is reduced.
