Mountain Mamas – Bye Bye Plastic Bags

Mountain Mamas is the ultimate social enterprise empowering women to produce alternative bags from pre-loved materials.

Established in 2017, the Mountain Mamas project was initiated by Bye Bye Plastic Bags and has ever since been empowering local women in Bali, on the slopes of mount Batu Karu.

Before this opportunity, these women came from the rice fields with simple skills, house skills. Now, they have the opportunity to help their families as each Mama has been given the training skills to produce these handmade alternative bags from donated or recycled material.
All women are individually paid for each bag that she makes, so the project allows the women flexibility within their daily activities to allow them to fulfil their responsibilities and duties as a mother and as a wife, as well as earning their own income. In December 2021 with the support of WWF Indonesia, we established our second Mountain Mamas in Bogor, Java.

“When you support women you are not only empowering the children, the community, the villages, but your also driving forward the economy” – Melati Wijsen

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

To create a successful enterprise we needed to provide the opportunity for these women to develop new skill.

“Some of them had never seen a sewing machine before and some of them were terrified of it.”

With the help of volunteer teachers we created workshops and opportunities for these women to learn news skills. The level of skill of these women is a defining factor of the types of bags that we can make as we accomodate for all skill levels.

Tote Bag

Crochet Bag

Paper Bag

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY OUR BAGS?

Once the bag is bought off the women it is sold at a higher price in retailers across Bali. Then 50% of the profit goes back to the work of Bye Bye Plastic Bags and 50% of the profit goes back to the village where the women are from to be used in a budget for three key elements: