Woolworths has unveiled a new range of reusable shopping bags with a difference.
The supermarket giant’s new Art Bag range, which is available across the country, features Indigenous-inspired designs.
They have been designed in collaboration with Warumungu, Wombaya woman Jessica Johnson, the founder of First Nations-owned and run creative agency Nungala Creative.
As part of the launch, Woolworths has also teams up with the Yothu Yindi Foundation to support the education of Yolngu students in Northeast Arnhem land in the Northern Territory, through an initial donation of $100,000 to the foundation.
“We’re pleased to add the new Art Bag range to our collection, and for the opportunity to create bags that showcase the creativity of Australian artists such as Jessica,” Woolworths Supermarkets managing director Natalie Davis said on Thursday.
“We know that the vast majority of our customers already bring their own reusable bags to shop, which is the very best outcome for the environment, and the new range gives customers even more reusable options to choose from when they shop.”
The Art Bags are made with at least 70 per cent recycled materials. They are bigger than the current 99-cent bags and offer the option of longer handles for carrying over the shoulder.
The new bags come in three designs and cost $2 each.
The company said Johnson’s colourful designs celebrated the joy of fresh food and connection to the land, with her three works titled Fresh as, Journey Lines and Landtracks.
Johnson said she was “super-excited” at being asked to create the range.
“Food is life! It’s at the centre of almost everything I do, playing the lead role during the good times and bad. It can provide a great little bit of escapism and take you on a journey,” she said.
“You know life is good when you’re eating well. Through some recent struggles with health issues, I have a better understanding of my body’s relationship with food. Eating well is so necessary for the mind, body and spirit. It’s the catalyst in coming together for mob in my life.”
She said her artworks expressed the joy of eating.
“We call it the food dance. It’s like an uncontrollable happiness that turns into a little groove in anticipation of chowing down. Each bag has its own flavour but is essentially a celebration of food in its own unique way,” she said.
Ms Davis said Woolies was proud to support the Yothu Yindi Foundation in creating an education hub for Yolngu students in North-East Arnhem land.
The Yothu Yindi Foundation is one of Australia’s leading non-profit organisations, representing the interests of Yolngu clan groups in northeast Arnhem Land, and staging the annual Garma Festival.
Chief executive Denise Bowden said education was at the heart of the foundation’s work and the Garma Institute had been a “game-changer for the region”.
“This is a new model in education, one that properly integrates Yolngu knowledge and learning into the curriculum, and we know that it works,” she said.
The Art Bag range joins other reusable carry bag options at Woolworths.
They include 25-cent paper bags, 99-cent shopping bags, foldable fabric bags and Chiller bags.
