When I enrolled to participate in the JA Malta Young Enterprise Competition during Freshers’ Week back in September, I knew I was in for a challenge, but never did I imagine that running a mini-company was going to be so taxing, yet so extremely rewarding.

MyTote is composed of five first-year St Aloysius students: Samantha Grech, the company’s chief executive officer; Caitlin Sultana and Yeliz Cakar, who oversee different aspects of product development; Daniel Grech, the team’s board secretary; and myself, the financial director.

Concept and innovation

At the start of the competition, all team members agreed that we would be designing and selling tote bags. While the idea was still in incubation stage, many wrote us off, claiming that there is nothing more mundane than a cloth bag, especially since nowadays they are given away in droves. We were warned that finding a market was going to be next to impossible.

Despite the banter barrage, we were determined to persevere with our plan. As a team we wanted to produce a tote bag that was stylish, useful and affordable, and that could empower a community. From this concept we came up with our slogan ‘MyTote for All’.

Action resonates beyond words

Sustainability, corporate governance, circular economy, green economy, social responsibility, etc − these words are used to describe organisational efforts to identify with ecological improvements and social responsiveness. Ultimately, we believe that it boils down to creativity and concrete action.

At MyTote we wanted to create an artisan, affordable, eco-friendly tote bag, and we felt that the only way to make this happen was to place value on waste. Therefore, we collected various fabrics that had been discarded, such as dead stock, old curtains and unused textile materials from households and firms, and transformed them into eco bags.

From this primary resource we produced a basic 20-litre tote bag; however, our unique selling point was that we included a cushioned partition to provide protection and help with organisation within the bag. Moreover, since the bags were made from different materials, most were unique in style, giving customers a bespoke product.

For the team, this was the true essence of sustainability – repurposing something that was not being used and ready to be thrown away.

We collected various fabrics that had been discarded, such as dead stock, old curtains and unused textile materials from households and firms, and transformed them into eco bags

One of our esteemed customers requested a tote bag from fabrics that once belonged to her grandmother. Another wanted a tote bag from remains of curtain materials. The list is endless, but whatever the reason put forward by our customers, we entertained with zeal, pride and joy.

Research has shown that the textile industry is one of the most environmentally harmful sectors in the world. Not only does the production of hemp and cotton require vast amounts of land, but these plantations also require a lot of water resources, with many plantations using heavy pesticides that contaminate the waters.

What makes the situation even more draconic is that when these natural resources are transformed into textiles, they are often only used for a short period of time. In many cases, when the fashion trend changes, these items are banished from wardrobes and typically end up in landfills where they remain because many materials are either non-recyclable or require a specific process due to the synthetics they contain.

The best way forward is, therefore, to reuse and repurpose.

Community impact

Reusing abandoned textiles was just the first step in our community impact journey… but we wanted to do more by reaching out to others in need.

We were lucky to have encountered a hospital voluntary worker who informed us that several correctional facilities around the world produce textiles as part of their rehabilitation programme, which sparked an idea for the team – to collaborate with the inmates at the Corradino Correctional Facility.

We discussed this idea with the team mentors − our JA Malta mentor, Giselle Borg Olivier, and our St Aloysius mentor, Keith Sammut. Both commended the idea, so we put forward our proposal to the management at the Corradino Correctional Agency.

The proposal was accepted and from then on, all MyTote bags were sewn by the female inmates (against a fee). All sewing activities were executed under the supervision of PC Marvic Micallef.

At MyTote we are proud to be helping in the rehabilitation process through the intrinsic values of work.

End of journey

Our entrepreneurial journey is coming to an end with this year’s competition finals being held in May. So far, we have sold over 200 tote bags and participated in more than 12 fairs… and counting!

A big thanks go to my hard-working teammates, our esteemed customers for supporting us, and the JA Malta Foundation for this opportunity, which shall be treasured for a lifetime. 

One can follow MyTote on our social media channels via Facebook and Instagram.