00:00In Dangala, about 30 kilometers south of Bangui, the future of packaging is growing on trees, quite literally.
00:13Here a local cooperative is turning discarded plantain trunks into biodegradable bags,
00:18hoping to leave behind plastic pollution and cash in on sustainability.
00:22We can't talk about making bags from plantain trunks without having a plantation.
00:28So one of our activities here at the local cooperative is developing plantain fields.
00:35As you can see here, we have a plot of at least two hectares, which is the minimum because it's more than five hectares.
00:44Today, we are making progress with plantains, which really serve as our raw material.
00:52For Samba and his team, success doesn't grow overnight.
00:55The goal of more bags per week means planting more, harvesting more and working the land from root to trunk.
01:02Our policy is to produce at least 1,000 bags per week.
01:07To produce 1,000 bags per week, we need to have sufficient raw materials.
01:12And having sufficient raw materials means having a large area of land planted with plantains.
01:19Keeping the plantation healthy is a hands-on job.
01:23And for young workers like Gideon, it is also a way to earn a living.
01:27My role is to maintain the plantains because they are plants that require a lot of care.
01:33There are three of us, so we divide up the tasks.
01:36I am in charge of grooming.
01:37This involves removing dead leaves, which I oversee.
01:41Another person does the winnowing, and the last person does the cleaning.
01:45These activities enable us to supply the production factory.
01:48Once harvested, the trunks are stripped off their fibres, pulped, and pressed into sturdy biodegradable bags.
01:55The project is also helping out the workers.
01:59This business will help me pay for my children's schooling and take care of my family.
02:03It's true that we're just starting out, but I'm convinced that our business will take off.
02:08But there's a winkle.
02:09Despite a 2020 law banning non-biodegradable plastic bags, they're still everywhere, cheap, convenient, and hard to ditch.
02:18I do this job out of passion, but beyond that, it's to eradicate the plastic bags that are invading our cities.
02:26We're also asking the government to raise awareness amongst the population to buy bags made from banana fiber, which are biodegradable.
02:33For now, the cooperative is doubling down on expansion, hoping to bring more farmers on board and grow plantains to keep the balance.
02:41In a country awash with plastic, these producers believe the solution may already be hanging from the tree.
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