Who would have thought, it turns out that recycled bags could be a business opportunity. This is in line with the plastic diet program that is being intensified by governments around the world.

Indonesia, as one of the third largest plastic waste contributor countries , seeks to reduce plastic waste by using recycled bags.

Data provided by the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement (GIDKP), traditional markets produce more than 400 million pieces of plastic bags per year.

Therefore, the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement (GIDKP) invites a number of traditional market managers in several parts of Indonesia to use recycled bags.

What are the Recycled Bag Business Opportunities in Indonesia?

Most people might think that traditional markets are still difficult to get rid of their dependence on plastic bags.

Actually, this requires the support and cooperation of all parties. Starting from market managers, traders, and manufacturers of recycled bags so that they can partner with each other.

Then, why are traditional markets still the largest producer of plastic waste in Indonesia? Apparently, this is due to the management of traditional markets that have not run optimally.

Departing from this problem, the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement (GIDKP) wants to start a plastic bag diet program by using recycled bags. The plastic bag reduction program is focused on a number of big cities, such as Surabaya, Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Bali, and Banjarmasin.

Admitted by the Director of the Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement (GIDKP), Tiza Mafira, the recycling bag business opportunity in Indonesia is still wide open. What's more, the competition for reusable shopping bag manufacturers is still not tight.

In the plastic bag diet program, later GIDKP will target plastic traders to start selling recycled bag products. On the other hand, this will reduce plastic bag waste because it can be an alternative to shopping bags that are more environmentally friendly.

Tips for Successful Recycling Bag Business

Everyone would agree that we should start shifting from plastic bags to sustainable reusable shopping bags.

You can try a business opportunity to sell reusable bags to earn additional income.

Below are some tips to follow:

1. Planning

In any business, planning is the initial stage that underlies business activities.

For example, do you want to make a small reusable bag? Or, large? How about the color and design? Do you need to market on social media or come directly to traditional markets?

Each planning stage needs to be thought out carefully and in detail. So, all stages can run as expected.

2. Collaboration

In the digital age, collaboration has become easier and is considered a common concept. For example, your reusable bag brand partners with a celebrity that supports environmental conservation.

Or, you can also target some startups and companies that run on the green solution concept.

Consumers or society today highly value sustainable products. If your reusable bag brand succeeds in cooperating with partners who share a vision, then your product will be widely known by the public.

3. Define the brand name

The identity or brand name of reusable bags is very important to differentiate from competitors. In addition, people will also find it easier to remember and say their names.

Usually, a good brand name consists of 1-3 syllables to make it easy to remember. In addition to the brand name, you also need to create an attractive and unique slogan.

Target Market for Reusable Bags

If you are targeting a reusable bag business opportunity in several traditional Indonesian markets, it is highly recommended to work with traders.

Especially traders who sell plastic in the market. They will usually supply the needs of plastic shopping bags for all traders in the market.

Automatically, if plastic traders have switched to reusable bags, it will also be easier for buyers to get reusable bags as an alternative to plastic bags.

Reusable Bag Business Cost Considerations

When considering the operational costs of a reusable bag business, you need to think about several aspects, including:

• Bag material
• Bag design and color
• Bag size
• Marketing and advertising budget in the next 2-3 years
• Forming a business management team

You may also need to consider the budget for hiring employees, shipping costs, and distribution.

Apart from that, actually the recycling bag business can be run on a home-based industrial scale. Because, it can still be managed by only a few employees. The estimated cost needed as initial capital for the reusable bag business is IDR 50 million – IDR 100 million.

How to make the recycling bag business more profitable?

Here are some steps to create a reusable bag business to make it more profitable:

• Offer a unique or custom bag design . For example, customers can upload their photos to print on reusable bags.
• Collaborate with other green companies or organizations to promote green solutions.
• Find business opportunities and partner with organizations involved in environmental clean-up efforts. Or, you can make reusable bags as merchandise from popular local and regional events. Word of mouth is a very good advertising method.

It is hoped that in the future, there will be more traditional markets throughout Indonesia that are able to reduce dependence on plastic bags.

The plastic-free market program in Indonesia will be a brilliant first step to be a role model in efforts to reduce single-use plastic waste in traditional markets.