GOT BAG

Benjamin Mandos founded GOT BAG in 2016 with the mission to reduce plastic pollutants in the ocean. In collaboration with seventeen plastic-collecting communities in Indonesia, Mandos created a brand that transforms discarded plastics into backpacks, tote bags, and luggage. GOT BAG’s clean-up initiatives are both preventative and remedial, as the collecting communities prevent improperly-managed waste from entering the ocean, and also extract plastics that have already entered the ocean. The clean-up program is operated from the Indonesian coast due to the disproportionally high levels of plastic waste in these waters: Approximately 83% of Indonesia’s plastic waste is improperly disposed of, and foreign plastics are constantly and unofficially being exported to Southeast Asia. 

GOT BAG’s production processes are threefold: PET plastics (e.g. plastic bottles) are turned into yarn that is woven to create backpacks, PP and HDPE plastics (e.g. plastic bags) are mechanically processed into raw material for the tote bags and luggage, and the residual plastics are leveraged for energy production. These upcycling processes are certified by the Global Recycle Standard, and all of these products are shipped using carbon-neutral methods. With the B-Corp Certification, GOT BAG puts ethics and sustainability at the forefront of its company mission.

Website: GOT BAG