From the outset of this project, we knew that the idea of shopping bags you BORROW, and then BRING BACK, would take some getting used to.

All other bag libraries we've followed have had the same experience: bags are borrowed.. being brought back, less so!

(Perhaps especially with the sudden increase in 'reusable' bags being given away in a rush by companies to quickly replace their 'single use' plastic bags with (slightly) more durable alternatives, to appear to be doing the responsible thing.)

We're supper happy people love our bags, and want to keep reusing them! But the downside is that it's difficult to keep pace replacing them, so people can still access a good quality bag at times when they need them.

Due to the costs involved in making the bags (even with free materials and volunteers sewing them), and the time it takes to make them for our small pool of dedicated volunteers, we need to look at how we can continue the project in a sustainable way, to avoid burning out financially, or personally.

I've always believed that for every problem, there is a creative solution! So this is not a doom and gloom 'we cannot keep doing this' story. This is a 'pivot in direction' story.

Our Bought To Support bags are continuing to get great support from our stockists, and from people who visit the studio. The bags that we sell directly, mean that we can use the extra margin which usually goes to the stockist to help offset their costs, to offset the cost of making the Borrow and Bring Back bags... in short:

This means we can continue to make bags which will be shared with the community, to help local organisations offer a free, quality reusable bag to their customers, where they have no other bag available.

To help keep up with demand, we will suggest to groups that they collect other reusable bags, such as the give-away ones, to add to the bag library stand. This will hopefully help to give the surplus bags lurking in draws, under chairs, and in cupboards their fair share of time in the sun shine, and avoid them being buried before their time.

This is beginning to happen at the bag library at Otago Farmers Market, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

We will be participating in the Autumn Harvest Festival at the Farmers Market, on the 11th May, and promoting the idea of 'buy one, donate one' - as well as giving a discount to people who trade in their 'borrow and bring back' bags for a 'bought to support bag they can keep forever with a clear conscious :)

I'm looking forward to 'releasing into the wild' some of our bags made by our busy volunteers, and meeting market goers to share the ideas behind the bag library; of shared community resources, local solutions and using practical skills to care for one another.

Bags For Good bag library now open at the Otago Farmers Market!

Thanks to support from all our busy volunteers, and the Farmers Market, we now have a permanent bag library operating at the weekend market every Saturday.

These bags are for all market-goers who have forgotten their bag, or who have ended up purchasing extras that they cannot fit in the bags they brought with them (been there many times!). Now, rather than missing out or having to purchase an extra bag for the occasion, you can just pick one up from beside the site office, take your purchases home, and bring it back next week (along with your own bags for that week's shop!).

Feel free to post photos of using these bags to our facebook or instagram pages, or to the Farmers Market pages. You can also let the Farmers' Market know how handy you find this service to encourage them to keep the stand well stocked!

See the article in the Star

Bags For Good now available at Blacks Road Green Grocer!

Thanks to all the wonderful bags made over the past few months at our sewing bees at The Valley Project, and by our volunteers sewing at home, we are able to stock our first retailer!

Blacks Road have a wide selection of un-packaged goods, reusable packaging options, local produce, and a fantastic in store cafe so you can really take your time deciding on your purchases :).

Drop in and say Hi to Christopher and check out our bags on our bag tree by the counter.

To celebrate the start of the bag library @ Blacks Road, we are running a competition to win one of our limited edition super-bags plus a $25 voucher!
BORROW, TAG & WIN! With Bags For Good and Blacks Road Green Grocer
Simply visit Blacks Road Grocer, borrow a bag, take photos and share them on social media (Facebook or Instagram) and make sure to tag Blacks Road Grocer and Bags for Good

Winner drawn, and tagged on our page, on Wednesday 1st August

Last month we officially launched Bags For Good at The Regent Theatre 24-Hour Book Sale!
 
The whole weekend was amazing, but a special highlight for me was hearing volunteers who've helped at the sewing bees and by sewing bags at home say how proud they felt to be part of the project!

Our beautiful hand-made stands were finished just in time! I've affectionately named the stands our 'bag trees', and hanging the bags on them was more exciting than decorating any Christmas Tree, and I think they looked better too, especially once the bags started to be returned into the baskets at the bottom :). The bag trees were handmade by Mark, a local man-of-all-trades who carefully considered the design and materials to ensure they were safe for use near food, adaptable for different settings, and lightweight for transport.

We we thrilled to see most people had remembered to bring their bags, but still loaned over 60 bags (many as 'shopping baskets' while people browsed), and had around 40 returned throughout the sale, and in the week after. Feedback from everyone was very positive, and the bags proved their strength and versatility many times over.

So, where are we going next?...

It's been just over a year since we held our first community meeting and Bags For Good was born. It's been a learning curve, and after much hard work, we're super excited to be finally ready to launch our first bag library!

Visitors to The Regent Theatre 24 Hour Book Sale on the 8th and 9th of June, will be the first to be able to 'borrow and bring back' our awesome bags.

The Regent have been plastic-bag-free for some years, and always encourage book sale customers to bring their own bags, or to take purchases home in a box (both brilliant options!). This year volunteers have even been busy collecting and making bags which customers can purchase for a donation. Bags for Good will be there as another option for people who have forgotten their bags, or need an extra. The theatre will also be a drop-off point for people to return the bags on repeat visits or in the weeks following the sale.

Do come and find us and say "Hi"! I'll be there (with sewing machine, of course!) from opening at 12pm till 7pm on Friday, and from 9am till closing at 12pm on Saturday.

"What if no one returns the bags?" is a question we get asked a lot!

Our answer: We will be doing as much as possible to encourage people to return the bag they've borrowed, so that it canl be there for them when they need it the next time they get caught without.

If the bags do go on a longer home visits, then hopefully they be reused and appreciated. We will encourage people to take photos of their adventures with their bags and help spread the message about avoiding single-use plastic.

Meanwhile, we'll continue our acts of kindness, sewing more bags and making them available for those who need them, and gradually grow the number of locations where the bags can be made available.  The more bags get returned, the faster we'll be able to be available in a store near you.