06 April 2008
Dubai: The UK's largest supplier of environmentally friendly jute bags is establishing a sales and distribution office in Dubai.
The announcement comes only a few weeks after Gulf News launched a campaign urging UAE residents to say 'No to plastic bags'. The response has been staggering with hundreds of people and local organisations pledging their support.
Jutexpo, which supplies alternative bags to all of the UK's main retailers including Marks and Spencer, Harrods, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Debenhams and the National Trust, believes Dubai is the ideal base to serve its multinational clients.
Barrie Turner, founder and CEO of Jutexpo, said: "I am delighted that this expansion, our first within the Middle East, will be in such a vibrant economy. It will create many new opportunities and enable us to bring the benefits of our eco-bags to a new region, in support of the growing campaign to eradicate plastic bags."
Jutexpo has supplied over 12 million bags since its foundation five years ago. The bags, which are all manufactured in India's West Bengal state, are distributed in a wide variety of styles, colours, sizes and designs, with many becoming iconic fashion items.
"We chose jute because it is a natural alternative and a renewable resource. We take our ethical responsibilities very seriously since they are a large part of the integrity of our products," Turner added.
Jute is obtained from two varieties of plant: Corchorus Capsularis and Corchorus Olitorus. Jute is a substantial industry and employs millions of people around the world, primarily on small family-owned plots around the Ganges River Delta in India.
Gemma Goodman, Campaign Coordinator at Jutexpo, said the company was committed to the development of products and services that further the creation of an ecologically sustainable future. "Last week I ordered a sandwich to take away and they gave it to me in a foam box inside a plastic bag. It made me so angry to see such a small item inside so much packaging.
"It's the same when you go to the supermarket. You pick up a packet of washing-up tablets and you're given a huge plastic bag to take them home in.
"There is an increasing demand for biodegradable, environmentally compliant bags within the region and I want to let people in the UAE know that we are here and we want to give out our reusable bags for free.
"Our main aim is the environment; we are not here to make a profit. It is more about educating people that plastic bags are causing harm."
By Kevin Scott
Gulf News 2008. All rights reserved.
