Million Bags for Life

Following nicely on from my previous post, I received this email today, which demonstrates creative thinking and marketers really getting their act together...

A revolutionary new project is calling on businesses to pledge their support to the environment by sponsoring this stylish, durable, multipurpose Million Bags 4 Life shopping bag, this can be done in 5 simple steps by visiting www.millionbags4life.com. Developed by Skymark Packaging Solutions, this project has been developed with the aim of helping solve the waste caused by billions of plastic carrier bags used in the UK every year, costing retailers up to £80 million.

Sponsorship costs as little as £200 per advert or logo, offering advertising space from 1cm2 to 25cm2 at a maximum cost of £5,000, with up to 5 logos per side of the bag. The result will be a visually striking bag, capitalising on the trend for fashionable, reusable shopping bags which are seen as a must-have accessory. Sponsors will be able to demonstrate their commitment to the environment in a cost-effective, practical way by joining other like-minded companies such as Kimberly Clark, Barclays, Maclaren buggies and adding their branding to the bag as well as their company and contacts details on the Million Bags 4 Life website. Sponsorship details can be found by visiting the website www.MillionBags4Life.com.

The traditionally shaped shopper, with reinforced handles to fit over the shoulder, will be made primarily of polypropylene, a recyclable and durable material. The spacious bag has two useful dividers which are perfect for holding wine bottles and would be ideal for weekly grocery or local high street shopping trips.

All "profits" from the project will be used for environmental issues, energy and waste reduction projects and development of more environmentally friendly packaging concepts. A percentage of the surplus money will also be donated to the Environmental Investigation Agency to support the projects they are currently working on.

Commenting on the initiative, Skymark's Dan Richards said, "Momentum is building and we already have some sponsorship support include corporation such as Barclays and Kimberly Clark for the bag but we are looking for more businesses to get on board and join this exciting new venture. 10% of the profit will be donated to charities and the rest invested in green projects and in the development of more environmentally friendly packaging concepts. This is not a one-off stunt, but the first step in our commitment to educate and encourage the consumers to reuse, reduce and recycling their packaging waste. If everyone in the UK switched to a reusable bag, we would save billions of bags each year; that is enough plastic to tie around the earth 103 times."