Every day, each person generates an average of 1.63 pounds, or 0.74 kilograms, of solid waste, according to The World Bank. That comes to nearly 4.5 trillion pounds (2.01 billion tons) of waste annually. What’s worse, global waste is expected to grow by approximately 7.5 trillion pounds (3.40 billion tons) by 2050.
Motivated to address this growing issue and advance UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, the members of Bennie got to work. The team members began by looking for ways they could contribute to the problem.
Bennie exists out of a motivated group of students who all love to go to festivals; however, during the festivals, the amount of waste that is produced is shocking. They believe that there is a need to change the ways of production and consumption to make the world a more sustainable place.
To prevent materials from going to waste, Bennie collects old banners and flags from festivals and gives them new life by turning them into durable, waterproof backpacks.
The greatest challenge for Bennie was finding a manufacturer that could work with the banner material. Collaborating with local manufacturer Atelier Opnieuw, the team has designed and created a line of high-quality packs that, by their nature, are completely unique.
Bennie has collected over 200 banners to date, which amounts to 673 m2 materials upcycled. Beyond this direct impact, the team hopes to empower other young people to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
Bennie will represent The Netherlands at the Enactus World Cup starting 14 October 2021, where the team will present their project alongside 32 other Enactus National Champions. There, they will demonstrate their innovation in business and its impact on the world as they vie for their chance to become the Enactus World Champion.
Join their journey at the Enactus World Cup, and further on at Enactus!