Tunisian brand transforms discarded fabrics into eco-friendly bags

A Tunisian brand making bags and accessories from discarded fabric has sold more than 25,000 pieces in six years, its founder said, as she seeks to reduce textile waste.

Chkarty was started by Teycyr Chtioui as an alternative to plastic bags. Its products are priced from 5 to 120 Tunisian dinars ($1.67 to $40.08), depending on size.

Plastic bag pollution remains a problem in Tunisia despite a 2020 decree banning single-use bags that critics say is poorly enforced.

The country's textile and clothing industry generates an estimated 31,000 tonnes of pre-consumer textile waste annually, according to a 2021 waste-mapping study conducted for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Chtioui said her company upcycled more than 10 tonnes of fabric between 2020 and 2025. It sources materials from second-hand markets, factory leftovers and shop surplus.

Chtioui, a graduate in visual arts, cinema and audiovisual studies, recalled how Chkarty began from a personal need.

"The idea was that I wanted to buy bread using a fabric bag, meaning a reusable and washable bag, instead of a plastic bag," she said.

As the brand grows in popularity, Chtioui believes its social and environmental impact grows alongside it.

Camera, Editing, Production and Writing: Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters