Trochet – Reshape Plastic Bags creatively

Trochet (pronounced with a silent ‘t’ at the end and an extended ‘e’) is as much a social movement as it is a business. A fusion of two words, Trash + Crochet, our business idea brings to market a range of hip, trendy and ‘must-have’ lifestyle products for the globally oriented and environmentally aware city dweller. These items, such as bean bag chairs, beach bags, scuba dive bags, sturdy yoga mats, and stress balls, are produced and sold in the coastal city of Alexandria, Egypt, with an eye to satisfying the cravings of the modern, educated, and active urban population.

The staple features of all Trochet products are that they are handmade by local women of disadvantaged backgrounds, utilizing traditional crochet stitches, but with a twist: the thread used is plastic, made from disposed of shopping and garbage bags that fly around our city and contribute to its persistent solid waste dilemma.

FUND

Getting the fund will help us in renting a little factory for the three months only that we will be using to provide space for the creative needy women to get trained and have a sustainable production line as an essential step in the production function, as well we would need it to store the wastes of plastic bags from all over city and that would help us in hiring more women and produce more creative products for you at the right time and deliver it to you with passion and love :)

TEAM

As Founders of Trochet, I Mohammed Ali is fully dedicated to the project and deeply involved in business operations, from concept development to supervision of production and marketing of the products. In addition, I have mobilized a number of enthusiasts who are providing their full support, each depending on their area of expertise.

At this stage none of us are being paid for our efforts, but we plan for future employment through Trochet. We have 1 member who is responsible for overseeing product design and following up with the crochet women workers (a total of 50 women), and another who arranges logistics and takes care of the finances. We also have a driver who collects the raw materials and delivers them to the workers.

To our advantage, we have also mobilized a group of expert consultants who provide regular input on various parts of the design phase. These include a business consultant, a marketing consultant, a social consultant, a design consultant, and an organizational design consultant.

IMPACT

Trochet has succeeded in creating a viable business opportunity from both a social ailment (too many poor people in a land of riches) and an environmental predicament (an ever-growing solid waste disposal problem and a culture of waste).

Our team is driven equally by our desire for social and environmental impact, as it is for creating a successful commercial venture. First, our initiative aims to play a role in cleaning up our cities, and creating a source of revenue for a select number of disadvantaged women. Second, we are keen to market the story behind each product, such that environmental and social awareness are created in society, for socially responsible practices to begin. Third, we hope to start a trend, encouraging others to follow our footsteps and create products of their own that achieve the triple bottom line (financial, social, environmental returns).

Thanks for your kind support and we hope to get some small and kind contrbution for our small project...