• Plastic bags have proliferated for a long time in the peri-urban areas of Morocco, becoming an unavoidable symbol of pollution.
  • Based on local women’s weaving skills, the project combines environmental protection and social entrepreneurship.
  • The women manufacture baskets and market bags using plastic bags and Alfa, a flexible and resistant local plant, traditionally used for weaving baskets.
  • The plastic bags are cleaned, cut into strips, then woven by the craftswomen.
  • The brand has since added other products, such as decorative objects, coasters and handbags.
  • Ifassen produced 200 bags made of recycled plastic, in collaboration with NGO Zéro Zbel as part of the pilot project “Alternatives to single use plastic bags.”
  • In 2016, a major windfall pushed the entrepreneur to step up her game: the Moroccan government launched its national Zero Mika policy (”zero plastic” in Arabic), strictly banning single-use plastic bags’ production, import, sale and distribution.
  • The study showed that women are more likely to use recycled bags than men, because they tend to plan their shopping beforehand, while men shop rather spontaneously.
  • The inquiry led the brand to improve the design and functionality of its bags, now made from flour sacks, which contain polypropylene.
  • Ifassen’s bags are now equipped with two different-sized handles, to be carried by hand or slung over the shoulder. In addition, once empty, the bags are easy to fold and fit inside a pocket.
  • The prime material is Alfa, a local plant traditionally used to sew baskets.
  • The recycled plastic is recollected in the city and its surroundings.
  • After, they clean and cut it in strips so it is ready to be knitted.

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