Wear Plastic With Pride!

&Proud is a non profit project founded by Beatrice and George in 2018 to help solve the waste management crisis in Malawi. They design unique and ethical products using recycled waste. We love their bold, beautiful bags, and we're delighted to have them in store. Each one is unique, and you can see the original logos from the plastic bags on the inside. 

Malawi's Waste Issue

Waste is a real problem in Mzuzu, Malawi, where there’s no official waste collection system. Stagnant water created by the waste attracts mosquitos and fosters cholera. Removing the waste can reduce the spread of deadly diseases. 

&Proud have recycled 800,000 plastic bags since 2019. The Classic Tote is made from 110 plastic bags, and African waxed cotton.

&Proud’s team is made up of local residents, who are paid a fair wage and supported with nursery and school fees. 

Each of their beautiful bags contains a label signed by the people who collected the waste, cleaned it, created the fabric and stitched the bag.

The Process

The Waste Collection team, William and Francis, collect plastic and cigarette butts, pop them in a trailer and cycle it back to the workshop.

The Plastics team, Annia, Matrina and Brenda sort, wash and dry the waste, then transform it into durable heat-sealed sheets using irons.

Henry, Noah and Precious the Tailors make the patterns, cut the materials and create the products by hand. Then everyone signs their names on the tags.

&Proud in Store

We have a beautiful selection of City Totes at £36, the larger Weekend Totes at £54, Tablet Cases for £18 and Hanging Toiletry Bags for £30. The only problem is how to choose between them!