Bazura Bags

You may have seen these before- I know I have- but I didn’t know the story behind them. Bazura Bags is a company that makes all sorts of bags (they have so many styles its ridiculous) as well as wallets, sandals,storage boxes, coolers, belts, backpacks and even shoes!

The accessories are made by a women’s cooperative in the Philippines out of (obviously) used-juice containers, which are not recyclable or biodegradable. They would otherwise end up in the landfill, or worse, float around in the water and trash the beaches.

The shoes are comfortable, and the bags are sewn well and are really sturdy, not to mention the fun Warholesque patterns and bright colors.

You can go directly to their shop here, or click the link above for more information about how the project works and who’s involved.

accessories, bags, shoes, style, trash, water, women, women's

Starre Vartan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick and author of The Eco-Chick Guide to Life (St. Martin's Press). A problogger and oft-quoted green living expert who has been featured in the NYTimes, Elle, Glamour and Whole Living, she is a contributor to The Huffington Post, Inhabitat, and Hearst's The Daily Green, and is currently editor-at-large for Coco Eco Magazine. An active ecofashionista, she has style edited for Plenty magazine and coordinated runway shows. She splits her time between Connecticut and NYC and calls Sydney, Australia her second home, even though it was her first (as that's where she was born and most of her family resides). When not writing, blogging, or researching her next book, she is trailrunning, trying to cook, or snowboarding.

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3 Comments on “Bazura Bags”

Green Bean
I heard it was supplied by a women’s cooperative based in the Philippines. The women pay children and schools to gather post-consumer juice packets and wash them, sewing them into all sizes and shapes of bags, e.g. purses, pencil holders, knapsacks, etc.
Hopefully the company is legit and not violating child labor laws or run in a sweatshop setting.
05/31/07 » 4:33 pm »
Larry Duprey
As the manager of Bazura.Biz I would like to re-assure Green Bean that the Women’s Co-op is not a sweet shop and the only thing the school age children do is collect juice containers at school and in their neighborhoods. This pocket money is similar to kid’s in North America delivering newspapers or selling lemonade in front of their house.
A Co-operative is when the workers own the business they work in. That makes them all in powered entrepreneurs.
A well know Toronto Anthropologist has written an article on the Co-op and we will post it on our web site ASAP.
06/13/07 » 2:11 am »
Missy
anyone can tell me where can i purchase this basura bags here in the PHILIPPINES? Thank You
07/27/07 » 7:56 am »