RAGS 4 BAGS
DESIGN
First of all, a design is made. The first question should be: what is the purpose of the bag? For school or work, leisure or going out? The size is just as important as the appearance. And once the goal has been chosen, the next question arises: which requirements must this bag meet? Zippers, magnets, press studs or rings determine how you open a bag. So which compartments are important? Which should be easily accessible and which should not?
In addition, the wearing comfort is taken into account: which length is best for a shoulder strap? Is it useful to have a handle on every bag (yes!), or should the bag be convertible?
If all goes well, the above will result in a good design that can be translated in a construction drawing. In the meantime, a lot of research is already being done for colors. Depending on the brand, colors can be bold or neutral, but should always go hand in hand with supporting colors. That way, the bags are easy to combine with every outfit and yet striking enough to look stylish. In short: a bag should be for life.
Green production
Once the colors have been determined, the production process starts. In China, where our bags are made, there are only 2 producers who venture into ECO materials. Simply because ECO takes time. And time is money. Fortunately, we don’t think that way. With a limited number of collections per year, we have plenty of time. Our materials are constructed from recycled polyurethane. For example from old, used bags or what is left over from old productions. The polyurethane is shredded and mixed with wood fiber. Who would have thought that your Hi-di-hi, Noi-Noi or EEEZI bag would be made of sawdust?
Obviously, more materials than just these are used, but everything as environmentally friendly as possible. For example: our zippers are made from PET bottles, and all metals (such as your zipper puller, the logo, press studs and rings) are free of lead and cadmium. Only environmentally friendly water-based paint is used for the print on the bags, just like the coating. This way, your bag can take a (big) knock.
Now the production of the bags can start. Each employee has their own task. One person inserts the zipper, or stitches the lining or makes a handle. Everyone stays on their task for a maximum of 2 days, after which they switch. In this way we keep the focus extra strong and no concentration errors can be made, as there are many details in a Hi-di-hi, Noi-Noi and EEEZI bag. A total of 40 people work on 1 item!
Fairly made
Our factory works completely fair. This means that the employees work under good conditions which is checked regularly. Everyone is insured, does not work more than 8 hours a day for a normal salary, has weekends and holidays. The factory has a kitchen where the boss prepares 3 meals a day for all employees. This has ensured that everyone in the factory is like one big family. You may remember that there was a shortage of face masks in the Netherlands. All factory employees collected unused face masks and sent them to us. We were able to make an entire hospital happy with those. Fair is therefore mutual. And let’s be honest: how easy can it be?
Packaging
Packaging is an art in itself. You don’t want to use too much material, but you do want the bag to arrive well. Fortunately, good progress has already been made in the field of packaging. As a result, our boxes are made of wood-free cardboard, our adhesive tape is not PVC, the filling of the bags is recycled pattern paper and our brochures are printed on Biotop.
Transport
When all bags are neatly packed and ready for shipment to the Netherlands, the container truck will arrive. Electric driving is already very common in China! All boxes are labeled and neatly loaded, before arriving at the port of Rotterdam by container ship. Once there, the container is transported to our warehouse in Waddinxveen.
In our warehouse, everything is neatly unpacked, sorted and re-checked. Then everything is repacked to send to the stores. Of course we use the same boxes for this.
Once the bags are in the store, the retailer will tell you our story and sell you a Hi-di-hi, Noi-Noi or EEEZI bag with pride. Because a greener eco-system is not only our achievement. It’s everyone’s. And this way everyone contributes. A better environment starts with producing/selling/buying a Hi-di-hi, Noi-Noi or EEEZI bag!