SECRET PROJECTS, a social business that strives to empower women in India who make and sell clothing and homeware, has unveiled a product that aims to reduce plastic use.
Their foldable shopping bags, priced at £6 each, are part of their micro- enterprise scheme that aims to provide Indian women with an additional income. These bags are also an
alternative to plastic shopping bags.
Launched following a crowdfunding campaign in February that saw 143 backers pledging more than £5,000, these bags are made out of cotton and sold to local shop keepers
in India. They can also be bought online too.
Fritha Mason, the founder of Secret Projects, decided on the Secret Shopping Bag after the Indian government announced last year its vision to phase all single-use plastics by 2022.
This created a huge opportunity for the women living in India who stitch and who are trying to run their own micro enterprises, said Mason.
Secret Projects works with 14 women’s groups in five states of India, and for each bag they earn just over £2.
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa (R) welcomes Indian prime minister Narendra Modi as he arrives for the opening of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on November 22, 2025. (Photo by Halden KROG / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
