Women on Wings business partner EcoAd works in one of the most crucial sectors in India – waste management – upcycling paper bags from used newspaper, by volume the largest scrap in India, and providing an alternative to plastic bags. In the process EcoAd engages women at BoP in and around Pune who earn a living by making these bags. This way, a greener tomorrow is not just good for the environment it also creates employment for rural women.
Paper bags for a better tomorrow
Rohit Nayak, CEO and co-founder at EcoAd: “We want to make cities of India free from plastic carry bags. What also keeps us going is the fact every time a paper bag is sold, a family is becoming closer to better education and better healthcare. We learn a lot from the women we are working with. Their enthusiasm is contagious, as is their ability to understand and appreciate quality. We have maintained a 100% product quality delivery to date.”
Improving production process
Joost Theunis, expert at Women on Wings, and Shashank Teotia, Senior Business Consultant Women on Wings, worked two days with the management of EcoAd in Pune. Joost Theunis: “Together we looked for areas of automation and improve efficiencies in manufacturing. Inputs on design improvisation where the bag handle’s cost and time consumption could be brought down became areas of focus as that came out as the biggest pain area. We worked two full days on brainstorming on what methods need to be adopted and validated through pilot testing.”
Picture: Rohit Nayak amongst EcoAd’s female staff
