The Bag Re:Born consumer trial at HISBE (How It Should Be) in London Road, Brighton, is supported by the University of Brighton Enterprise Growth Grant and the Green Growth Platform.
Bag Re:Born, invented by alumnus Richard Simmonite (Product Innovation and Development MSc, 2013) is a clever multi-purpose carrier bag which can convert into a 60-litre bin liner or recycling sack when shoppers get home, or be re-used many times at the checkout till. Customers are being encouraged to try the bag and fill in a short survey to help refine the design.
The bag will also enable shoppers to avoid the five pence tax on every single use bag coming to all stores across England in September.
Richard said: “Single use carrier bags are an environmental disaster, but reusable carriers need to be used a lot of times to be any better. Research has found that people typically use their single use carrier bags as bin liners, so it made sense to try and create a product that would do both things while reducing the environmental impact of bags.”