SAVING THE PLANET, ONE DISCARDED TYRE AT A TIME
Sagufta Janif, founder and director of The Fusion Hub in Fiji, is a woman on a mission. Oozing enthusiasm for her social enterprise and the things they could do, not to mention the things they are doing, which are many. Saving the Pacific one discarded tyre at a time, The Fusion Hub is spinning gold out of straw upcycling waste as it addresses a lack of proper waste disposal methods, especially in the more remote islands.
The business evolved out of Sagufta’s lifelong love of her natural environment. As a young adult she was horrified to visit a childhood haunt on a diving trip and saw a greatly changed ocean. Sea life was minimal, replaced by discarded plastic. She set out on a personal crusade to change her own habits in a small attempt to redress the problem. She furnished her small apartment with furniture she had crafted from waste; encouraged by friends, she started selling homewares she crafted at home.
As time went on Sagufta became aware that Fiji’s landfill was growing faster than it should for such a small country with 60,000 tonnes of waste a year. Something had to be done. Working towards a “circular economy model” where waste is eliminated, The Fusion Hub aims to close the gap between production and the natural ecosystem cycles upon which we all depend. Through upcycling, the business aspires to achieve “SDG-12 – Responsible Consumption and Production”, one of the sustainable development goals established by the United Nations.
To achieve this goal, Sagufta says,
It’s not about selling, but about educating people about what would happen if that rubbish wasn’t used. We sell a story with each product, so the customer considers their contribution to the environment, feels good about it, and takes it into other aspects of their lives.” They are able to contribute to something so much bigger than their new foot stool made out of a discarded tyre.
Winner of the 2020 Commonwealth Youth Award for the Pacific region, Sagufta engages with women from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are trained and supported to form a cooperative which supplies The Fusion Hub with cunningly designed homewares and furniture from discarded materials – all with a 0% carbon footprint achieved through solar power. The result is that these women from remote villages without access to education or training are economically empowered, enabling them to provide for themselves and their families.
Sagufta is hopeful that,
this award will create more awareness around sustainable living and empower more women to work in a field that is largely dominated by men.”
She’s right. International recognition has drawn the spotlight to this social enterprise and to Sagufta.
So, how could Business Link Pacific (BLP) help such an enterprise? Visibility is the short answer. Teamed with Eventuros, a snappy and informative website has been written and developed, the Hub’s social media presence has been extended and optimised, and behind the scenes SEO work done to draw customers to the business. As it turned out, matching with Eventuros was something of an inspiration. Sagufta found commonality with Dipti Sharma, Eventuros’ own inspirational woman leader.
Teaming up with BLP and Eventuros has already resulted in The Fusion Hub increasing its revenue, but even more importantly enhanced its legitimacy on the international stage.
The new website, has definitely changed business, and made it easier to compete for funding or international business. It’s important for start-ups, especially social enterprises, to be able to show what they are trying to achieve,” Sagufta says.
The assistance BLP provided – for which Sagufta is extremely grateful – has enabled The Fusion Hub to evolve and develop. The new website is already undergoing further upgrades as new products and ideas are added. Visiting London to receive her award, Sagufta wasted no time seeking new opportunities for the Hub. Soon, the Zero Waste Hub will provide a mobile refilling station for household staples, with the aim of dramatically reducing single-use plastic pollution and helping Fiji transition into a zero-waste lifestyle.
There’s no downside to the business – everybody wins.
If you are a growing business based in Fiji, with between 5-50 employees and you’d like to gain subsidised access to quality business advice through Business Link Pacific, you can contact your in-country representative: Ramesh Chand [email protected]