1. Spark the Rise Season 1 case studies To provide an eco-friendly, affordable alternative to polythene bags

2. Salient points The project aims to reduce the usage of polythene bags, a known major environmental hazard. These bags are banned or in the process of getting banned across India. Prevention of usage is difficult as these bags are cheap and affordable The entrants aim to provide an alternative to shopkeepers and end users to polythene bags. Nonwoven Bags are the nearest alternative solution although 15 times costlier than polythene bags. Nonwoven bags are recyclable and reusable. These kinds of bags are the adopted solutions of many big retails chains. Considering the enormous numbers of customers who will carry these bags to their home with them, it becomes a very viable media for brand promotions for all kind of businesses. With this project, the entrants want to make these bags a moving media for the brand promotions and aim to recover the cost of costly bags from advertisers The bags will be provided to shopkeepers and end users at free of cost or at a price similar to the cost of polythene bags depending upon the placement strategy in target market. A fixed percentage of profit earned through this project will be spent for education of economically weak children for basic and higher education

3. Who benefits? Polythene bag users Small retail shops Corporates Children from economically weak backgrounds

4. How does this work?

5. The project champions Vikrant Baibhaw, who, with others, runs an NGO 'Helping Hand Society’ which works to help economically weak children for basic and higher education. They are registered in Varanasi and have started an initiative to make HHS financially independent to take their mission furtherVikrant Baibhaw