New way to sell a bag: Be green and philosophical

Don't miss it: We saved the best for last.

文末超值福袋，不容錯過。

Sustainable fashion is not a new thing.

The term came into use in recent years as the fashion industry began self-reflection while facing environmental challenges.

Big names in the industry, from powerhouses like Kering to brands like H&M, have been vocal in their environmental commitments.

This time Coca-Cola, the world-famous beverage maker, is jumping on the bandwagon.

The company, together with One Foundation and HowBottle, a sustainable fashion brand, unveiled a bag manufactured with recycled material, with a story about rebirth to sell along with it.

Data showed customers bought the idea. Only four days after the first batch of the bags were launched on Chinese e-commerce site Tmall, the product's shop was visited more than 15,000 times and the bags sold out.

Riding on the popularity of the first batch, the second batch came in three types — big tote, small tote and backpack. All three hit Tmall on Wednesday.

How did it work out?

With clashing colors of red and black, "24" echoes Coca-Cola's iconic hues.

But it scored more as a storyteller than a fashion item.

The name of the bag, "24", indicated the materials the bag has been made from — 24 recycled PET bottles.

Aiming to prompt some soul-searching, the bag got its name for what the number 24 can symbolize: the passing of time, life and rebirth as there are 24 hours in a day.

Such philosophical thoughts do have historic connections. The launch of its first batch in May resonates with the 10th anniversary of one of China's deadliest earthquake in decades, the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake in Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Inside the bag, a piece of blue recycled fabric is sewn. The fabric was used in tents as temporary accommodations after another strong earthquake struck Ya'an, a town in the same quake-prone province in 2013. Each piece of the bag has a unique ID printed on the piece.

The product was designed not only to tell customers to look back, but forward also. For every 24 bags sold, a new disaster relief tent made from recycled plastic bottles for affected areas will be provided by One Foundation, which partners with Coca-Cola China on the mission of disaster relief and passing on the love.

The story of "24" is not over yet.

The bag is also linked to the company's "Clean Water 24" emergency disaster response mechanism, which addresses the need for clean drinking water in disaster-hit regions.

So far, the mechanism had been activated 184 times to respond to disasters in 22 provinces and provided more than 16.4 million bottles of drinking water to over 2 million people in disaster impacted areas.

Connecting the everyday practice of recycling to earthquake commemorations, the bag is meant to convey the message even small green habits can be life-changing.

The "24" is a pilot product, according to Coca Cola China, as the company has long been working to promote the idea of recycling in a more creative and fashionable way than just lecturing.

The bag is part of the company's 2030 Journey in China. The company set a global goal on January 19 to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030.

"The public's acceptance and views on recycled product is the key in recycling, we hope to motivate consumers to recycle more packaging and join in caring about our planet," said the company.

Attention please:

Please remember that for every 24 bags sold, a tent will be donated for future disaster relief. If you already like the bag and plan to make your contribution, you can buy the tote bag here, and the backpack here.

Or you may also be rewarded a free bag by sharing your environmentally friendly lifestyle changes.

Readers whose comments rank the top 20 and receive 24 thumbs-up or more will win a 24 bag.

China Daily客戶端攜手可口可樂中國正式邀請你加入環保召集令！

每賣出24個包，可口可樂中國和壹基金將捐出一頂rPET救災帳篷。如果你想為環保和未來抗震救災盡一份力，可以點擊這里購買托特包。旅行包購買鏈接在此。

或者你也可以參與互動話題：為環保改變了哪些生活習慣？

評論排名前20且集齊24個贊的讀者將會獲得獨一無二的24 bag，重點是免費哦！

你的每一分環保努力，都會有回饋。