Our idea is to create an innovative purse made out of re-purposed vinyl banners from the City of Austin's Transportation Dept. The unique value of our product is that you will be able to charge your devices when the solar panel is exposed to sunlight or any other type of solar energy (i.e. fluorescent lighting). However sunlight is not required to charge any electronic devices. This is made possible because we will be including a rechargeable lithium ion battery in addition to the solar panel to our purse. The total cost of our product will be $40 since the idea is to make a product that is affordable for a wide-range of customers and enhances many different lifestyles, from young adults to professionals.
As students actively involved in the Entrepreneurship program at Crockett High School, we have a multitude of skills that include fashion design, creative problem solving, product development, along with tech-savvy students that can create and construct a purse.
Our idea will utilize re-purposed vinyl street banners to create our original product with a built-in charger. By utilizing the excess materials provided, we will create jobs by hiring employees to cut the banners to the proper patterns, sew patterns together to construct the product(s) and execute the installation of the lithium battery and solar panel. We will also support the creation of living wage jobs by establishing a Customer Service Department to help with customer management. Each employee will be provided training for their position, therefore, our services provide a modern-yet-simplistic approach for all future employees.
We are diverting hazardous materials from landfills to make fashionable, functional multi-purpose bags. This will help the environment by reducing the amount of toxic waste that is going in the landfills and incinerators. It also decreases harmful manufacturing processes and pollution by re-using synthetic man-made materials. It will reduce the use of natural gas and coal, which are used to create electricity, because people will use the [RE] charge purse more than using their household electricity.
At the end of the product's life, we will allow drop off sites at your local store to re-purpose the vinyl fabric and re-cycle any parts of the lithium battery.
