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Kheit: Ditching plastic to preserve the environment
By Batool Almasri, Jordan News
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AMMAN — As the importance of preserving and protecting the environment continues to grow, many new projects are choosing to promote this culture through their activities.اضافة اعلان
One such company is “Kheit”, which manufactures environmentally friendly bags that carry awareness messages inspired by Jordan’s culture and heritage.
Jordan News spoke with Ibrahim Kullab, founder of the Kheit project and CEO of the company. “I spent five months in Romania for volunteering purposes, and while I was there I used two ecofriendly bags for almost all of my needs.
When I came back to Jordan, I felt that this concept should be spread in Jordan and people’s awareness about it should be raised,” he said.
Kullab tried to garner support for his idea. One organization responded positively to his message, and with their support he was able to start his project.
The next step was to reach out to the Jordan River Foundation. The Kheit project won one of the foundation’s entrepreneurial competitions, Kullab said, adding that they “won a financial prize and logistical support that enabled us to develop our project further.”
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
The purpose of the project is focused around environmentally friendly bags. “Our bags are environmentally friendly, and carry awareness messages through embroidery and printing that we design ourselves,” he explained.
Kullab founded Kheit at the end of 2020, and its first product carried the theme of empowering women in addition to promoting ecological sustainability. There were also other designs on how to preserve green spaces.
More recently, Kheit expanded its activities, launching the “Green for Jordan” project, which will comprise several themes. Kullab explained that the first phase focused on Jordan, and aimed to feature touristic areas through the designs. The second phase was less specific and carried a variety of messages; not all of them were focused on awareness, “but rather followed trends and fashion, targeting the youth in particular,” he highlighted.
The company also added fruit bags to its products, the idea for which developed following a study that found “that most plastic bags are used when buying fruits and vegetables,” the CEO said, adding that “these bags are also environmentally friendly, but are more specialized to carry produce in particular.”
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
The last phase of “Green for Jordan” focuses on recycling. By partnering with a factory that produces a lot of cotton waste, Kheir was able to repurpose the waste cotton into environmentally friendly bags, Kullab shared.
The CEO told Jordan News that Kheir is looking to raise money, concentrated primarily on social impact. “For example, when we started, 20 percent of our profit was allocated to donating to cancer patients, in cooperation with the King Hussein Cancer Center. Furthermore, women from the local community and among Syrian refugees will be working on the new bags (within the ‘Green for Jordan’ project),” he stressed.
Kullab reiterated that Kheit’s founding principle is to contribute to reducing the use of plastic bags. “A study funded by the Ministry of Environment showed that the average Jordanian uses 500 plastic bags a year,” he explained, contending that by producing 500 of their environmentally friendly bags, they can avoid 250,000 single-use plastic bags being used.
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
There is demand for the types of bags Kheit offers, but it is not as large as the demand for plastic bags for several reasons. Reusable bags are relatively new to Jordan, and are still not accepted by everyone — “and, of course, there are those who still do not know about them,” the CEO said. “This is one reason why we focus our efforts on designs that will attract people.”
Furthermore, Kheit expanded the functionality of their bags. Some are tote bags, others for transporting produce, and others still are recycled, Kullab explained.
Kheit is implementing a feature on its website which will “give customers the opportunity to make their own designs, upload their own logos, and see the final result before ordering,” the CEO said.
Finally, Kullab stressed the quality of the company’s bags, asserting that customers can use them for years without requiring “several” replacements. “The only reason a customer would buy several bags is for the beautiful designs,” he concluded.
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One such company is “Kheit”, which manufactures environmentally friendly bags that carry awareness messages inspired by Jordan’s culture and heritage.
Jordan News spoke with Ibrahim Kullab, founder of the Kheit project and CEO of the company. “I spent five months in Romania for volunteering purposes, and while I was there I used two ecofriendly bags for almost all of my needs.
When I came back to Jordan, I felt that this concept should be spread in Jordan and people’s awareness about it should be raised,” he said.
Kullab tried to garner support for his idea. One organization responded positively to his message, and with their support he was able to start his project.
The next step was to reach out to the Jordan River Foundation. The Kheit project won one of the foundation’s entrepreneurial competitions, Kullab said, adding that they “won a financial prize and logistical support that enabled us to develop our project further.”
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
The purpose of the project is focused around environmentally friendly bags. “Our bags are environmentally friendly, and carry awareness messages through embroidery and printing that we design ourselves,” he explained.
Kullab founded Kheit at the end of 2020, and its first product carried the theme of empowering women in addition to promoting ecological sustainability. There were also other designs on how to preserve green spaces.
More recently, Kheit expanded its activities, launching the “Green for Jordan” project, which will comprise several themes. Kullab explained that the first phase focused on Jordan, and aimed to feature touristic areas through the designs. The second phase was less specific and carried a variety of messages; not all of them were focused on awareness, “but rather followed trends and fashion, targeting the youth in particular,” he highlighted.
The company also added fruit bags to its products, the idea for which developed following a study that found “that most plastic bags are used when buying fruits and vegetables,” the CEO said, adding that “these bags are also environmentally friendly, but are more specialized to carry produce in particular.”
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
The last phase of “Green for Jordan” focuses on recycling. By partnering with a factory that produces a lot of cotton waste, Kheir was able to repurpose the waste cotton into environmentally friendly bags, Kullab shared.
The CEO told Jordan News that Kheir is looking to raise money, concentrated primarily on social impact. “For example, when we started, 20 percent of our profit was allocated to donating to cancer patients, in cooperation with the King Hussein Cancer Center. Furthermore, women from the local community and among Syrian refugees will be working on the new bags (within the ‘Green for Jordan’ project),” he stressed.
Kullab reiterated that Kheit’s founding principle is to contribute to reducing the use of plastic bags. “A study funded by the Ministry of Environment showed that the average Jordanian uses 500 plastic bags a year,” he explained, contending that by producing 500 of their environmentally friendly bags, they can avoid 250,000 single-use plastic bags being used.
(Photos: Handouts from Kheit)
There is demand for the types of bags Kheit offers, but it is not as large as the demand for plastic bags for several reasons. Reusable bags are relatively new to Jordan, and are still not accepted by everyone — “and, of course, there are those who still do not know about them,” the CEO said. “This is one reason why we focus our efforts on designs that will attract people.”
Furthermore, Kheit expanded the functionality of their bags. Some are tote bags, others for transporting produce, and others still are recycled, Kullab explained.
Kheit is implementing a feature on its website which will “give customers the opportunity to make their own designs, upload their own logos, and see the final result before ordering,” the CEO said.
Finally, Kullab stressed the quality of the company’s bags, asserting that customers can use them for years without requiring “several” replacements. “The only reason a customer would buy several bags is for the beautiful designs,” he concluded.
Read more Business
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