Packaging doubles as a brand statement. A clothing label at Karpagam Gardens in Adyar, Tula India has dispensed with the branding part and instead made packaging a statement about mindful choices.
“We will ask customers to bring their own bags. Most of our customers do, and we’ll also educate them,” says Sushmitha R.K, designer at Tula India.
The approach begins well before a garment reaches the store. Cotton is transported in airtight plastic sacks that are reused year after year, while woven fabric moves between production units in reusable sack bags instead of new packaging. “So the cycle keeps repeating. Instead of buying new plastic covers every time and discarding them, we keep reusing what we already have,” she says.
Garments are displayed without individual plastic covers. Customers are encouraged to bring their own bags, but those who forget are offered newspaper bags made by autistic adults using recycled newspapers or reusable cloth bags stitched from leftover organic cotton fabric. “Whatever big pieces of fabric are left after production, we make our cloth bags from them,” says Sushmitha, adding that the bags are often pieced together from two or three fabric scraps.
The leftover fabric also serves another purpose. Larger parcels are wrapped in these fabric pieces, while smaller consignments are sent in paper envelopes.
Interestingly, the cloth bags are not sold despite customer demand. “Many people want to buy those bags because they like them. But we tell them the bag is not for sale. There is no purpose in buying another bag just to own it when you already have many bags at home,” she says.
The store also uses conversations and posters to encourage customers to rethink disposable packaging.
For more information on Tula’s approach to reducing unnecessary packaging, contact 8056163560 / www.tula.org.in
A cardboard box outside the entrance of Kazhani Native Farms in Kottivakkam has become an unlikely solution to a common retail problem. Instead of selling new carry bags, the farm invites customers to drop off extra shopping bags for others to reuse.
For Gokulnath Natesan, founder of Kazhani Native Farms, the idea stemmed from a growing dependence on packaging as the farm expanded its range of products. “As the product range increased, the usage of packaging materials also increased,” he says. “We realised that while we were conscious about sustainability and waste management, in another way we were increasing the usage of plastics.”
Walk-in customers are encouraged to bring their own bags and containers, particularly for loose produce. For products such as juices and oils, customers are asked to return the same containers for refills. “We will fill it again and give it to you. Until it is good, you can use it instead of throwing it away,” says Gokulnath.
The cardboard box outside the store extends the same idea. Customers leave behind extra carry bags they no longer need, allowing others who arrive without one to reuse them.
“Instead of charging them, we told them they can take the bag. Similarly, if you have excess bags at home, you do not need to throw them away or keep filling your shelves. Just leave them here,” he says. While home deliveries still rely on plastic packaging where alternatives prove impractical, Gokulnath says the reuse initiative has significantly reduced the farm’s purchase of new carry bags.
“It has reduced our bag purchasing costs and plastics, and it has become a good habit for people,” he says. “As others started dropping off excess covers, they also began bringing other waste.”
The farm now serves as a drop-off point for vegetable and garden waste, dry waste, e-waste and old garments. “The transaction does not end with the purchase,” says Gokulnath. “It goes back as a message, creates awareness and builds an eco-friendly environment together.”
For more information, contact @kazhani.in / Instagram - @kazhanifarms
For most shoppers, the bag is an afterthought — a necessity considered only after the purchase is complete. At Restore on East Coast Road, Kottivakkam, it is the starting point of the shopping experience, where customers are encouraged to carry their own bags and rethink the way they approach packaging.
At Restore, brown paper bags are given only when required; customers are asked to bring their own bags and when they do bring their own bags, they receive a 2 per cent discount on their purchases
Restore functions as the sister concern of Organic Farmers Market (OFM), an initiative built around connecting farmers directly with consumers. While both operate independently, they share a network of farmers and a common vision of creating a more community-driven approach to consumption.
Customers who walk in with their own bags or containers receive a 2% discount on groceries, a small gesture that encourages a larger change in the way people approach packaging.
According to Karthik R, General Manager, the idea is to make carrying reusable bags a natural part of the shopping routine. “We request customers to bring their own bags and containers, especially for planned purchases like rice, grains and pulses,” he says.
According to Karthik, although the discount is small, customers have responded positively to the initiative. Since nearly 70% of the revenue already goes back to farmers, the organisation cannot offer a larger discount. However, he says the incentive has helped encourage more customers to adopt the practice. This practice has been part of Restore’s approach for years. Plastic packaging has almost completely been eliminated from the store, with brown paper bags provided only when required. For products such as oils, customers are encouraged to bring their own containers, while glass bottles are available for those who need an alternative.
But getting people to change a familiar habit has taken time. “In supermarkets, everything is packed and ready. People simply grab products and leave,” says Karthik. “Asking customers to bring their own bags is a completely different paradigm.”
He says the challenge is not the availability of alternatives, but the mindset around them. “People think minimal packaging is difficult or doesn’t suit their lifestyle. But it is actually very easy,” he says. “Customers tell us bringing their own containers simply becomes another item on their shopping checklist.” There are, of course, practical hurdles. Paper bags can sometimes tear under heavier loads, requiring the store to constantly adapt its packaging methods. Yet, the focus remains unchanged.
For more information, contact @restore.org.in / Instagram - @restore.org.in
Published - July 11, 2026 08:53 pm IST