Who are we?

BANG consortium is an Australian company inspired by our fair trade producers in Bangladesh to Build A New Generation of consumers by offering ethically produced, mainstream products at affordable prices.

BANG consortium is the brainchild of five enterprising Sydney mothers, whose professional careers have spanned Europe, America, Asia and Australia.  All five founders are deeply committed to the principles of fair trade, environmental sustainability and the betterment of women and children in the developing world. 

In 2004, we set out to establish a unique consumer brand featuring the handicraft skills of the people of Bangladesh.  Our aim was to combine our own contemporary Australian designs with fair trade methods of production, creating a range of affordable, environmentally sustainable shopping bags in natural fabrics that would provide a more fashionable and truly eco-friendly alternative to the reusable supermarket “green bag”. blah blah

As Australia developed a culture of the “green bag”, we believed that it was time for retailers to look at biodegradable shopping bag alternatives.  Many consumers are surprised to discover that their reusable “green” polypropylene shopping bags do not break down in landfill, and require mechanical recycling.  Moreover, the low price of these polypropylene bags was starting to turn them into a disposable item.  We decided to turn our minds to designing comfortable, roomy cotton bags with a traditional flourish that would roll and fold up easily into your handbag or purse, so you need never ask for a plastic bag again.  We then devised a supermarket shopping bag and bottle bags that could be made from biodegradable, compostable jute, one of Bangladesh’s reviving industries.

Armed with our designs, we visit Bangladesh regularly to develop and manage the manufacturing process conducted by the Bangladeshi development organization, BRAC-Aarong.  Our bag designs are now made at rural production centres throughout Bangladesh exclusively for the BANG consortium brand, and we supply several retailers and organizations with branded bags for their customers and members.  This exclusive distribution arrangement is one small, first step from the Australian market towards promoting sustainable trade and employment in Bangladesh.

At BANG consortium, we passionately promote fair trade values, and direct 10% of our profits back to the artisans’ communities and charitable projects.  In addition, each artisan earns a living wage for the work they produce, enabling them to aim for a stable financial future by lifting their families above subsistence levels.  Finally, the price we pay to our producers contains a profit component that ensures their communities will enjoy the support of BRAC-Aarong, though the far-reaching community programs they run.

BANG consortium is a member of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand (FTAANZ).  To learn more about what this organization does, click here.

Why BANG?

We chose BANG to brand our products for its link with BANGladesh, and for what we would like the letters themselves to stand for – Building A New Generation of socially and environmentally aware consumers and retailers.

We also hope that our products and the principles of fair trade and environmental sustainability that they embody would create a BANG with retailers and consumers alike, and that our products receive the respect that the artisans who make them deserve.