Interview with the founder of Duniani Eco Friendly Bag

                                                           

Erica Sandberg is a Swedish-Tanzania environment activist who has designed an eco-friendly re-usable bag for grocery shopping and any other use (multi-purpose bag). By using this bag, customers will eliminate the use of plastic bags and eventually keep their environment clean. Bags are available in Sweden as well as in Tanzania. For more information contact her on instagram @_duniani or email her at duniani.se@outlook.com

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MTSB:  Hi Erica, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Erica: I am a happy, social and driven person. I love to work with my company Duniani. I love to exercise, I love food, to travel, reading and to watch movies. I was born in Tanzania Dar es salaam. My father is Swedish and my mother is Tanzanian. Me and my father and my little sister moved to Sweden in 1999. My mother still lives in Tanzania. Today, I am 30 years old and I try to travel to Tanzania once per year. I work as a seller at H&M and I also work as a business consult at Drivhuset. Drivhuset helps young people to start and make their ideas come true. 

      MTSB: What is Duniani? And why did you give it that name?  

Erica: Duniani means “in the world”  in Swahili. I liked the word because it uses in many different countries. Arabic, Turkish and Swahili. The word is understandable in different languages.

Many countries in the world have problems with their waste. So the name is associated in many countries who have problems with the waste. Littering of the waste is a big problem in many countries. 

MTSB: What does the company do?

Erica: Duniani is selling eco-friendly reusable bags. The money goes to an environment project that I wish to build in Tanzania. The project is about creating awareness in how to sort and recycle our waste and also to use the energy from waste (when burning burnable waste to make electricity and hot water in the villages).

1.      MTSB: When did you start this project?

Erica: About 2 years ago. April 2015.

MTSB: Which projects is Duniani doing in Sweden at the moment?

Erica: At the moment, Duniani company is spreading the awareness about keeping out environment clean. Selling the bags to companies and private people. Joining different events to market Duniani products. At the moment, I am working on building my website so that I can sell the bags online and people from other countries as well as in Sweden can find and buy them. 

1.      MTBS: What do you plan to do in Tanzania?

Erica: My plan is to sell the bags in Tanzania. To make people awareness about the environment. To start my workshops in sorting and recycling. Tell people how important is to take care of our waste in a good way.

To find people who want to help to work with this project and to find a place to build a Duniani recycling station. A place to be able to sort different materials like paper, plastic, iron, food (to make bio-gas) and burnable waste. The energy from burnable waste makes electricity and hot water. 

MTSB: What kind of research have you done and how can Duniani assist in bettering the environment?

Erica: Earlier this year I was in Tanzania and I went to the biggest dump-site in Dar es Salaam (Pugu), and it was a sad site to see. 

We know that plastic bags are the main cause of littering. Plastics kill our animals on land and in the ocean. The use of plastic is a major problem and you can be sure to find plastic waste everywhere.

People have forgotten that this is our waste and we have to take care and to control it. Unfortunately, people don’t know and also don’t care about the safest way of getting rid of waste.

But we know for a fact that dumping it anywhere will not make it better. We have to act now.

Did you know that it takes 400 years for a plastic bag to decompose? If we don’t take care of our waste, there will be more plastic and other wastes In our ocean than fish in year 2050.

The dumping sites that we have today are not pro-environment or healthy. The dumping sites themselves are destroying our earth, water and the air. Animals eat in these areas and diseases are spreading. Our Children get diarrhea and fall sick from other contaminated diseases because of these dumpsites.

To my opinion, open dumping sites should not exist. if we take care and act responsibly with our own waste, we can make products then use the same waste to remake a new product. If we need to keep our world safe for the future generation, starting by using reusable bags like duniani bag will eventually lead to staying in a clean environment. 

1.      

     MTSB: How much does a Duniani bag cost in retail price?

Erica: In Sweden I have two different prices.

For  company we sell in whole sale, minimum 50 pieces of bags for 4 dollars each.  Then for retail it's 8 dollar each.

1.     MTSB: What benefits will someone get by buying these bags in bulk?  

     Erica: Apart from helping to keep the environment clean. A person or a company who buys 50 pieces for 4 dollar each 4x50= total is 200 dollars. He can sell forward for 8 dollars each. 8x50 = 400 dollar. He will return his investment of 200 dollars back and get 200 dollars in profit.

But of course you could always buy more than 50 pieces.

1.      MTSB: How can someone get hold of the Duniani bags?

Erica: Contact me on facebook, Duniani. Instagram @_duniani or email duniani.se@outlook.com

Phone: +46735051468  Webbsite duniani.se in progress.