The Offer

We Offer a practical, eco-friendly alternative to nylon shopping bags. A vertically integrated artisan support platform (prodcution, branding, distribution). Retail and institutional supply partnerships. Media driven advocacy that shapes consumer behaviour, and a scalablle business model where revenue growth increases environmental impact.

Purpose

To reduce environmental flooding caused by nylon waste while creating sustainable income opportunities for local reed basket makers. The purpose is to align environmental sustainability with economic empowerment, using market demand as the bridge between both challenges.

Ambition

To make reusable reed baskets the default shopping carrier across Lagos and eventually across Nigeria, transforming a traditional craft into a scalable, climate resilient economic movement. The long term ambition is to normalize sustainable consumer behavior while building a structured, commercially viable ecosystem for artisans.

The Problem

Recurring flooding in Lagos is worsened by nylon waste clogging drainage systems. Heavy reliance on single use plastic shopping bags continues to drive environmental degradation.

Our Baskets

Our Impact

This is not just a product, it is a structured ecosystem where economic growth
becomes the engine for environmental change

Protecting the Environment

We are reducing flooding caused by nylon waste, while creating sustainable income for local reed basket makers, aligning environmental sustainability with economic empowerment through market demand.

Empowering Communities

We are currently working with a community of 12 basket makers, beginning with 2 artisans and scaling up to 4 artisans in a pilot phase; building a suatainable value chain that replaces nylon with biodegradable alternatives.

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The Movement

Lagos has banned thin nylon bags.
Make the switch today with a beautiful, handcrafted reed basket.

Browse Our Collection

Our Blogs

Latest News

  • REED Berths at Tejuoso

    The Iya Oja and Baba Oja of any market in Lagos wield an incredible amount of influence at the grassroots, particularly as it pertains to consumer trends.When that market is Tejuoso, one of the oldest and largest modern markets in Lagos, it’s particularly thrilling when these leaders buy into a movement. Throwing their weight solidly behind REED Initiative, The distinguished…

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  • NIHSA warns flooding may persist into September as LASEPA doubles down on nylon bag ban

    With homes, roads, businesses and critical infrastructure repeatedly threatened by floodwaters, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) has warned that the flood situation could persist through September, with August and September expected to remain particularly challenging. The warning comes as Lagos continues to grapple with the consequences of rapid urbanisation, intense rainfall, rising water levels and poor waste disposal, particularly…

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  • We Are More Connected than We Think

    Meet Mr Abdulazeez, the Liaison Officer @REED Initiative. Mr Abdulazeez speaks 4 languages fluently, and speaks another 2 Nigerian languages passably.He is fluent in: Arabic, Hausa, Fulani and English. He speaks Yoruba and Edo passably, not to mention Nigerian pidgin. At REED Initiative, we as a social venture, dream of a Lagos where reusable reed baskets MADE BY LOCAL WEAVERS,…

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