Enthusiasm seizes the moment with eco-friendly bags – 24/10/08
Published: 23/10/08
Source: ©The Moodie Report
By The Moodie Report News Room
UAE. Travel retail is failing in its duty to reduce its carbon imprint with many companies simply paying lip service to their green credentials. That’s the view of Pradeep Parmar, Founder and Director of Dubai-based Enthusiasm.
In response, his company has developed a range of eco-friendly jute bags, which it is marketing to travel retailers as an alternative to environmentally harmful plastic shopping bags.
The jute bags, made from 100% biodegradable jute fibres, come with a Carbon Zero label – signifying zero carbon emissions were emitted during their production.
"Many eco friendly travellers want alternatives to reduce their carbon imprint," Parmar insisted. "Jute bags not only provide an excellent alternative to plastic bags but operators and brands can advertise and contribute towards a better future. This will subsidise the cost of the bags and make it economical for customers to buy them."
Parmar’s bags are now widely available at most of the key supermarket retailers in Dubai, and are making a mark in travel retail too, with retailers such as Dufry Sharjah.
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Pradeep Parmar's eco-friendly bags are making an impression in duty free; Dufry is among the retailers that will list them
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Parmar said: “[Retailers] sell them to the customer at the cost they’re buying [from us]. That’s the principle, because they don’t want to make money out of this bag. They want to provide a service and generally to reduce usage of plastic bags.”
He said that a duty free retailer could also offset the costs – or even turn a profit – by seeking high-visibility brand sponsorship. And of course they can sell the bag to travellers. “Everything is customised,” Parmar said. “We can brand it, we can provide any colour, size or dimension. And obviously we can make bags for special events, like an anniversary celebration.”
Parmar has found that convincing retailers can sometimes be frustrating but he insisted that a wider breakthrough is imminent. “This is definitely corporate social responsibility, which is part of the budget of every major brand that sells in duty free. But somehow we need to put the operator, the airport authority and the brands in some kind of network together to make this happen.”
NOTE: A detailed feature on Pradeep Parmar and Enthusiasm can be found in a special supplement on corporate social responsibility, with The Moodie Report Digital Print Edition, out next week at TFWA World Exhibition.
For details, visit:
www.enthusiasmstar.com
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