MORSBAGS QUIET GUERILLA BAGGING

By Elise-Marie Steenkamp

If you attended one of Hortgro’s events over the past year, you walked away with a Morsbag.

You might be forgiven for thinking “mors” refers to the Afrikaans word “waste”. Unfortunately, Saffas cannot claim honour for this innovative project with the quirky tagline, “Sociable Guerilla Bagging,” which sums up the spirit of Morsbags—grassroots, friendly, and quietly revolutionary.

Morsbags is an international grassroots project that began in 2007. Its goal is to reduce plastic bag waste by encouraging people to make and give away reusable fabric bags—for free—using recycled materials.

That is precisely why Hortgro supports Morsbags. Instead of spending money on making new bags for our events, let’s recycle what is already available.

The initiative was founded by British environmentalist Claire Morsman, who was desperate to do something about discarded plastic bags polluting communities, streets, rivers, and oceans. Morsman wanted to create a simple, practical alternative and made bags from old fabric, such as curtains and duvet covers. She then handed them out for free at her local supermarket to raise awareness.

Morsman’s idea quickly generated support, and soon, old textiles that would have ended up in landfills were being sowed into shopping bags and handed out.

As awareness grew, volunteers wanted to join, and Morsman realised to take the initiative to the next level, she needed to create an organisation that was easy to join and track. A pod system was created, with volunteers joining “pods”. Each pod tracks its bag-making totals on the Morsbags website.

While Morsbags is a global movement, its footprint in South Africa is relatively modest. However, the Western Cape Morsbags pod significantly contributes to the continent. Founded by Serena Hall, who brought the concept from the UK seven years ago, this group has been instrumental in promoting sustainable practices through handmade fabric bags. Angèlique Pannaye and Jaqui Harris are now running the WC pod.

The initiative is much more than a few bored housewives with nothing better to do than stitching to pass the time. According to Angèlique, the Western Cape coordinator for Morsbags, Morsbags saves lives by “giving people purpose and community, and best of all, it replaces plastics”.

She also shares that Morsbags have been made by everyone from King Charles to those in a community rehabilitation centre in Leicestershire, England, and by sewing groups in the USA, across Europe, and, since 2018, here in South Africa.

According to Angèlique, almost every bag or every person who joins the bag-making process has a story worth sharing. She hands over a mustard-and-grey patterned bag. “This one, for instance, was made by a retired magistrate who struggled to cope with retirement and depression. Someone told the person about our initiative, and now she is helping. It gives her something to do: purpose!”

She points to another stack. “A 47-year-old man made those bags. He is challenged. His mother passed away and a group of Morsbag ladies started looking after him. Now, he helps with sowing and making bags. Another man wanted to learn to sow. In exchange for teaching him, he makes bags.”

“And this lot”, she points to another stack, “was my old sitting room curtains. We had a break-in, and my dog, in its haste to get to the perpetrators, tore my curtains apart. Some materials were still in excellent condition; now they are bags.”

To date, the Western Cape Morsbag pod has produced 34 504 bags, making it the fourth most productive pod in the world.

In the past, Western Cape Morsbags has collaborated with local organisations, such as the Two Oceans Aquarium, to distribute bags and raise environmental awareness. Their efforts have provided practical alternatives to plastic bags and fostered a sense of community and shared purpose among volunteers.

More than half a million Morsbags, 580 420 to be precise, have been distributed globally. Each fabric bag is estimated to replace hundreds of single-use plastic bags over its lifetime. The project builds social connections through sewing events, workshops, and eco-awareness efforts. This is the second year that Hortgro has joined the Morsbag community by donating and using the bags at its events.

If you’re interested in supporting or joining the Western Cape Morsbags initiative:

• Facebook: Follow Western Cape Morsbags for updates and contact information.
• Instagram: Explore their work at @wcmorsbags.
• Email: Contact  wcmorsbags@gmail.com