Former lingerie queen Julia Gash has set up Bag It Don't Bin It at the G4 office complex on Carlisle Street with support from Burngreave Local Enterprise Champion (NEC) Lisa Randell.

Lisa is one of two Burngreave NECs, who are managed by Burngreave New Deal for Communities (BNDfC) and work with the BiG project, to help local people get business support.

The 'BiG – Make it Your Business' programme is part of Sheffield's Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) which is working towards increasing enterprise opportunities and boosting economic growth across the city.

Julia said: "Bag It Don't Bin It is a manufacturer of Eco Bags. We ethically source the production of natural cotton and jute bags overseas, which are made without any damage to the environment. We also offer an Express Print Service at our print factory in Burngreave.

"We produce bags for schools, community groups, government agencies, event promoters and retailers in the UK and overseas. We also campaign on environmental issues and produce the 'I Love Sheffield' bag, which is designed to encourage people to love their city by not polluting it with plastic bags and adopting a more eco-friendly approach.

"I had the idea of Bag It Don't Bin It when I was running GASH, the lingerie shop. Customers were given an Eco-Bag when they spent £30 in the shop. It was an incentive to buy but also the quickest and cheapest way I could get a branded, quality carrier bag in store.

"A conversation with a customer just over a year ago, who fell in love with the Gash Eco-Bag made me realise that I should be producing bags for other companies too. I was ready for a fresh challenge and my heart had always been in manufacturing.

"I had 20 years of fabric print knowledge and my dad ran a print company, where I helped out from the age of five so print was in my blood. I'm incredibly motivated by political issues so running an ethical business that tackled a key environmental issue was something that I just had to do."

Julia decided to set up in Burngreave because she lived in Pitsmoor when she first came to Sheffield and has fond memories of the area. Added Julie: "When I was looking for industrial premises I realised that there was a wonderful energy in the area such as industrial refurbishment projects, good transport systems, fantastic local eateries and lots of up and coming businesses moving into the area. I wanted the business to be part of this re-energised place.

"BNDfC have been tremendously supportive in helping us with our move to Burngreave, as well as deal with the usual financial and logistical challenges of a high growth, start up business.

We were able to get a micro loan to fund our relocation and expansion, some good business advice and have benefited from free marketing opportunities such as the BiG market and networking opportunities in Sheffield.''

lBag It Don't Bin It has produced a collection of printed, natural cotton eco-bags and eco-backpacks emblazoned with the "I Love Sheffield" message. The ethically sourced, eco-bags are made from sustainable crops, without the use of harmful chemicals and printed with environmentally-friendly inks. If Sheffielders use them instead of plastic bags to do their shopping then they can cut their carbon footprint from over 25kg of CO2 per year to 0.6kg.

Company Director Julia Gash says: " We produce genuine, ethically sourced and eco-friendly bags for companies and organisations all over the country which come out of our factory in Burngreave. Yet in Sheffield we kept on seeing people with supposed "bags for life" which were actually made of plastic and were therefore environmentally damaging. This inspired Bag It Don't Bin It to come up with a better solution – a genuine, ethically-sourced, eco-friendly bag for the people of Sheffield.''

Council Leader Paul Scriven has also been spotted with an I Love Sheffield Eco-Bag on his shoulder. He said: "This bag really sums my whole attitude to the city, I love supporting local business where I can, I love helping to improve Sheffield's environment and of course I love Sheffield."

Initially the eco-bags were being sold at farmers markets around the city. They are now on sale at selected stockists including Fusion, The Design Studio, Yorkies and Cartridge World. They will also be available online at www.bagitdontbinit.com later this year.

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