K06-C -- The Foldable Soft Natural Cotton Shopper Bag By Kope Initiatives.

Code: K06-C
Bag Size: 12 x 15 inches (30 x 38 cm)
Handles: Self handles

Lightweight 100% biodegradable natural cotton canvas, 140 gsm, 4.5 oz./yard²

The entire bag is made from one piece of bio-degradable natural cotton fabric. I'd like to call it the 'Smart Bag' which can be folded and stashed away into a corner of a purse; and taken out only when needed.

Add a logo, or design onto it and it makes a great billboard promoting your brand each time it gets carried by environmentally-conscious folks. And all the while, it'll subtly promote you as being a nature-concerned human being.

Need a larger bag, or maybe something made from a thicker fabric, different handles, just name it and we'll whip it up for you. You don't even need to buy very large quantities either.

A great bag, made through the fair-wage system, combined with constant communication make us pleasant to work with. Write to us at info@kopeinitiatives.in and we'll reply immediately.

K05-C - The Carry-All; Women's Special Hand Bag Designed With Felt Handles & Flap By Kope Initiatives

Code: K05-C
Bag Size: 14 x 14 x 4 inches (35 x 35 x 10 cm)
Handles: Round cotton cord wrapped with corduroy

Heavyweight 100% biodegradable natural cotton canvas, 400 gsm, 12 oz./yard²


Earthy cream with a flash of red makes this design ownable. This handbag is made from sturdy 12 oz canvas fabric; with seamed piping color coordinated to match the soft twin handles. Hold the handles up, and they assist the closure of the bag, while extending to make this a comfortable shoulder bag. The flap inbetween has a snap button. There's a zippered pocket inside as well. The lining fabric is made from hand-woven khadi 3.5 oz cotton fabric; adding substantial value to the bag.

You can pick and choose fabric options, handle options, print options, color options and sizes. In short, you ge to design your own bag; at the fraction of the cost of getting it done by a 'brand designer'.

Honestly, we're are in this business to create awareness about earth-friendly bags, offer fair wage employment and be as organic as you possibly want us to be. Ask us for a sample to see our workmanship and quality. We can imprint custom designs too. Write to us at info@kopeinitiatives.in and we'll reply immediately.

K02J - The Cotton Jute Fusion Bag Designed By Kope Initiatives

Code: K02-J
Bag Size: 14 x 12 x 5 inches (35 x 30 x 12.5 cm)
Handles: Cotton webbed handles, 1.5 x 25 inches


Heavyweight 100% biodegradable natural plain woven duck cotton canvas, 330 gsm, 10 oz./yard²

One fine morning, at the Kope Initiatives Workshop, while discussing new bag designs, we hit upon the idea of using a combination of sturdy canvas and natural jute fabric to develop an elegant, bio-degradable, earth-friendly shoulder bag.

Out came the K02-J with jute fabric base, and pockets made from canvas. The cotton webbed handles are sturdy and helps the bag carry substantial weight. The unique combination of the fabrics in their natural appearances will make you want more.

We can custom size, style and add a new feature into this bag, just tell us what you want and we'll get to the drawing board. Ask us for a sample to see our workmanship and quality. We can imprint custom designs too. Contact us at info@kopeinitiatives.in.
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K01C - The Heavy Duty Large Canvas Boat Bag By Kope Initiatives

Bag Size: 19 x 17 x 10 inches (48 x 43 x 25 cm)
Handles: 2-ply, self fabric handles, 1 x 23 inches
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Extreme heavyweight 100% biodegradable natural plain woven duck cotton canvas, 800 gsm, 24 oz./yard²

This heavy duty canvas boat bag is made from a super sturdy 24 oz natural canvas fabric.

It has an extra shaded bottom for double strength; reinforced handles sewed all the way from the bottom to the top. The bag has a zipper closure; a pocket on the front and a key ring sewed into one of the handle straps. This bag can carry over 35 to 40 lbs of weight easily. That's nearly 18 to 20 kilos.

We can custom size, style, imprint and add a new feature into this bag, just tell us what you want and we'll get to the drawing board. Ask us for a sample to see our workmanship and quality. Write to us at info@kopeinitiatives.in and we'll reply as soon as we can.


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NZ rules on plastic bags not as strict as New Delhi

In India, carrying a polythene shopping bag can land you in jail. While some countries are getting tough on rubbish, what is New Zealand doing about the plastic bag problem?

Drains blocked by plastic bags in Delhi provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and add to the problem of flooding during the monsoon.

Now a law has been passed there which could mean customers, shopkeepers, hoteliers and hospital staff face a 100,000 rupee fine ($3800) and possible jail time for using non-biodegradable bags.

While an outright ban is not on the cards in New Zealand, a Make a Difference campaign to reduce by a fifth the use of plastic bags is on target to reach its goal by July.

Packaging Accord 2004 -- a packaging recycling plan to be completed by 2009 -- is on track to hit a 20 percent plastic bag reduction with 144 million fewer bags used each year.

So far, 100 million bags have been taken out of circulation, most (86 million) in the past two years as the campaign to involve shoppers has gained momentum.

Foodstuffs New Zealand, Progressive Enterprises, Woolworths and The Warehouse were among those to sign the Packaging Accord in 2004.

Other major retailers, such as Mitre 10 and Caltex, have also joined the campaign. Others, including Bunnings and Borders, have their own bag reduction scheme.

The New Zealand Retailers Association opposes a ban or mandatory tax on plastic bags and rejects calls for New Zealand to follow the South Australian government, which introduced a Plastic Shopping Bags (Waste Avoidance) Act on January 1.

Delhi was not first to ban plastic bags -- Bangladesh brought in a ban in 2002 for the same reason -- to counter increasing fears they were blocking drains during the monsoon.

Australia, Taiwan, Rwanda and Singapore have since banned, discouraged or promoted re-use of plastic bags. Towns and cities in India, the United States and the United Kingdom have followed.

Taxing plastic bags has been tried out in both Denmark and Ireland. The tax, imposed in 2002 in Ireland, had reduced useage in Dublin by more than 95 percent.

UK supermarkets were warned in 2007 that they had a year to reduce the number of plastic bags handed out, or face legislation.


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Paper or plastic: Will the choice soon be obsolete?

A City Council in southern USA is looking at a plan to lobby the Florida Legislature to go green. The City Council first addressed the issue last year, when they looked at a way to cut down on the number of plastic shopping bags heading out of the doors at local retailers.

At that time, the state said that cities and counties could not make decisions on regulating plastic bags at retailers. The Council hasn't give up. They will soon decide whether to make lobbying the legislature about plastic shopping a priority.



"Anything to help the environment is a good idea," says a shopper. She and many others we talked to say they think reusable bags, like those sold at Target and many grocery stores, are a great idea.

"I got started at Costco. They sell big plastic bags. They're great - they're convenient and they're green! I'm going green!" says another shopper. While many are for it, some say the reusable bag isn't for everyone.

But that may not be the only solution. Other cities around the country have done anything from charge for plastic, to bad it all together. This means good news for those concerned with the environment, specially for folks who make it their business to offer affordable renewable, reusable and bio-degradable shopping bags.

Who's side are you on?

Students make a difference !!

The West Branch Middle School Science Club hosted its second annual Energy and Environment Summit, presenting their projects to state legislators, the West Branch mayor and a representative from the Iowa Department of Transportation. Projects ranged from concerns about materials that contaminate the environment and affect humans, such as lead and mercury, to what wearing flip-flops can do to the body.


"The Green Men Group" stressed switching from plastic bags to reusable bags when grocery shopping. If people made the switch, on average that would eliminate the need for six plastic bags a week, or 22,176 bags in a lifetime, group member Bradley Arp said. It takes 12 million barrels of oil to create one year's worth of plastic bags for American use, but the bags are never fully biodegradable, group members said.

The Iowa City Council will discuss a plastic bag ban after council member Connie Champion introduced the idea in December. Thankfully there are a few companies in the world like Kope Initiatives who work hard to promote ecological cotton canvas calico bags to rid the Earth of plastic.

Green Resolution

My friend was telling his kids recently that his New Year's resolution was to recycle more, be greener and more eco-friendly. So he bought himself some reusable shopping bags.

Reusable bags are handy, sturdier and help avoid getting what seems like a zillion plastic bags from a single shopping trip.

Lots of retailers have reusable bags available these days, usually displayed prominently near the checkouts, often for about a buck. I'm sure you would have noticed shopping bags emblazoned with logos of local companies -- a much more useful and long-lasting give-away than the typical trinket.

Will it be hard to get used to reusable? Maybe. No, I don't think it will be that much of a burden to bring along a bag. Shoppers in Ireland, for example, seem to be managing just fine. That country instituted a tax on plastic bags in 2002 and cut their use by more than 90 percent. Now most shoppers carry reusable.

Admittedly, using reusable bags is just a little thing -- there are plenty of other ways to go green -- but maybe we should set a good example for the younger generation and make ourselves feel a bit better, too. Making a new year resolution to stay 'green' seems like a good start.

While the bags my friend bought carry the logos of local stores, you can find loads of great-looking bags online at www.kopeinitiatives.in.

Plastic bag ban in Australia takes effect

Finally, there's some good news coming our way. The credit definitely goes to the Australia government. The ubiquitous plastic shopping bags that once littered highway-sides, shopping centre gardens and every space in between will be phased out from today.

A ban imposed by the Environment Protection and Heritage Council will seek to bring to an end the long suffered bane of lovers of the environment everywhere.

The move comes about in an effort to bring Australia more in line with the green standards aimed at by the Council for the Australian Federation of governments.

Let's spare a few minutes to check how many plastic bags we use in a week. Once you've done that, spend the next few minutes to calculate how many plastic bags are being used by the entire neighbourhood. Imagine, if you used one cotton shopping bag which lasts a whole year, how many plastic bags would that reduce?

If you wish to know more facts about plastic bags and their nuisance, log on to Kope Initiatives; and you'll read for yourself.