At Give It Bag, we believe that all the things come back to you. Because if you do good and do something positive or think positive or have a good intention, this will happen, so we’re going to create our own life. And that’s actually what Give It Bag is all about."

Halo gracious viewers and welcome to Good People, Good Works. Today we travel to Cape Town, South Africa to meet Regina Borth, whose company "Give It Bag" is dedicated to making her city and South Africa a better place to live.

She recycles polypropylene sacks used for shipping items such as rice, beans, salt, sugar, coffee and flour by converting them into beautiful, high quality fashion items. What inspired Ms. Borth to start this unique company? It all began when she and her husband, Dr. Philip Rüther moved from Germany to South Africa three years ago.

We moved to Cape Town in January 2007 and we were renovating a small house. And I was responsible to buy all the material for the renovations. So I went to different builder warehouses and somebody told me: “Please bring rubber bags.”

I’d never heard about it. In Europe I never saw them. And so I bought them. But when I just looked at them, I freaked out about the different prints on them. So for me it was just clear: “Okay! Oh no, I can’t put some other waste inside. I have to keep them.”

Although Regina Borth was impressed by the quality and beauty of the sacks, she was not sure what to do with them. Yet she was determined to think of some way to recycle them.

I bought a second-hand sewing machine and just start working with this material just because of the prints. So the idea was just not born in the moment. And a good friend of mine, it was her birthday. And I thought: “Ok, I’ll sew a bag for her.” Because it was so nice I thought: “Okay…” So the whole idea I created together with my husband because of our belief system.

Because I’d always wanted to do something good and we recognized it in South Africa, especially in Cape Town. And beside the fact of creating a product which is green and, nice, and beautiful, and new, we also wanted, to do good. And then the whole idea (unfolded) and also my husband came up with the idea of “Give It Bag.”

Where do you get the material from for your bags?

I sometimes drive by myself to different farms, but we have suppliers, and I can phone them, “Can you please bring new bags?” And they really go to the Western Cape, and collect the bags. I see that the print has to be nice and there are no holes in the material.

Each Give It Bag is marked with a unique number. When buying one of the bags, purchasers are invited to do something good for others, and report their "good deed" on the company's website, using their five digit number instead of their name.

We created the five digit number, and if you buy a bag you’re able to add a good deed on our home page. And you can also add a good need on our home page. Because we thought, sometimes people want to do something but I don’t know what. So we thought "Okay, maybe it could be a good way of communication,"

if somebody needs something, and somebody can fulfill this need, and does something good. And for example, I was a marketer and my cell phone was gone and I had no money. And I just put my need in, and I received a cell phone from Berlin (Germany). I couldn’t believe that it really worked.

Many of the buyers have been enthusiastic about taking up the challenge to do something good for others.

The feedback is really great. People really take part and they really add good deeds on our home page; it shows us that, it’s working. Because maybe for so many people it’s, normal to do it, which is obviously great. But it’s so often we forget about it, and is good to be inspired and motivated again.

With Ms. Borth in charge of marketing, these colorful and unique products met with almost immediate success.

I am a graphic designer. So the logo and the whole corporate entity and advertising and brochure and our Internet page, everything I did by myself. My husband and I are from Germany and we, started selling the bags in Germany.

We got other international orders which was absolutely amazing. So we have bags in Canada and in France and in Italy and in Australia, and so that was really great. Not big orders but it’s great that it’s spread. And here in South Africa we are almost in each big city.

I am always happy to see here in this country how much people really think about reusing. We have to be creative using things, and I am really proud to be here. It was this country which motivated me to do this.

When we return, we will have a closer look at some of the trendy products from "Give It Bag." Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Good People, Good Works, as we continue our interview with Regina Borth, the founder of Give It Bag, a South African company which turns shipping sacks into fashion accessories. Starting with only two products in 2007, the company now sells 10 different bag styles. Each bag is unique, high quality, and includes many thoughtful details.

So we started with a small plastic bag, and they come really flat, so easy to travel with and then you just do this. This for example is a material from Namibia. And then the material will get a little bit softer after you use it a little bit. And here you can see also the number on the bag. And this is our large bag, and this one you can also put around your shoulder. And it’s really a spacious bag which you can use for traveling or for the beach. We have a fancy clutch bag.

And for, me as a designer, it was absolutely the most important thing to create a high quality product out of waste. The whole process of producing a bag is really labor-intensive, but yes, we made it. And then we have our sling bag. It’s a laptop bag with an adjustable string. And all bags come with the hook for your keys, and three inside pockets and a cell phone pocket. And this one is especially protected and a 15 to 17 inch laptop will fit inside.

And this is our laundry bag. I wanted to create something which is really big because some of the material of the bags, they have such nice prints and they’re just on the whole bag almost. So I wanted just to have something where you can see everything.

And this is a rice bag from India for example. And the material shows the cooking instruction for rice, which is really funny, and all the ingredients. And yes, a nice laundry bag and a piece of furniture, and you don’t have to hide your dirty things anymore.

Give It Bag also recycles its wealth, with 50% of its profits put into charitable projects. These initiatives benefit the disadvantaged residents of Cape Town. Currently Give It Bag is supporting an orphanage in Philippi, a suburb of Cape Town, providing, among other things, wall heaters for the kindergarten, and clothing, toys, and warm blankets for the children.

In end of January, we supported, Vulamasango, that’s a new project, an orphanage just developed, and this is in Philippi. And the whole idea is also to teach them and train them afterward that they’re able to get jobs. And they have like a big farm or land, and they just do organic food and gardening, and they are able to feed themselves with their own food. So it’s just a great concept. We bought all the furniture for the kids, and just assets, what they just needed for the first step to open.

And we supported four sisters and brothers from Vulamasango. And it was just before school started, and there was a really, really poor family. And we went together with the four kids to, the city center, and just spent a day there.

They could choose whatever they wanted for their school uniforms and school bags and everything. So it was an interesting day, because they had never used an elevator, for example. It just was amazing that they had a nice day with things to tell at school.

In another program called “Cleaning our Hood,” not only did Give It Bag help beautify the Lower Gardens district of Cape Town where the company is headquartered, but aided the area’s homeless who also participated in the cleanup as well. These underprivileged individuals were given lunch, clothes, and money for providing a helping hand.

And we also cleaned up our own area here with homeless people. And we cleaned up the whole day. And we were also part of it. And everybody got green and blue and black bags to separate recyclable waste from normal waste. And we wanted also to keep them involved a little bit more, about what is recyclable. And it was nice because the neighbors were amazed that finally the neighborhood was clean!

Here are some final thoughts from Regina Borth on caring for our splendid world.

At this stage on this planet, we all have to think a little bit more. Especially with products from the fashion side or maybe also cosmetics. Because we all have to take care of our planet much, much more.

And there’s so many good ideas and so many companies who have a good concept and to try to be green and organic. And I also would love to see more creative people or people who produce things to be not only … money- orientated, but much more… environmentally- friendly and economic.

Many thanks Regina Borth and staff and to all other thoughtful and innovative people around our globe who use their creative talents to uplift and preserve our world. We are grateful for your spirited efforts, and wish you much success in all your future noble endeavors.

For more details about Give It Bag, please visit www.Give-It-Bag.com

Thank you for your presence on today’s Good People, Good Works, which airs every Sunday here on Supreme Master Television. Up next is The World Around Us following Noteworthy News. May your life be filled with kindness, dignity and grace.