Cecilia (Ya-Chu) Chang
Amelia Virgo
TIAS School for Business and Society
Mirjam Minderman
Keep this story going! Share below!
The idea of KAKARDUSAN's toys perfectly fits in the UN Global Goals like climate actions and reduce inequality. The recycled material and the price of her toys are more affordable than the plastic-made toys on the market, so she can reach more children.
According to Indonesian statistics, the average family wage in Indonesia is around 175 euros. However, the average price of one child toy on the market is around 5 euros, so families could not afford to provide suitable toys for their children in different developmental stages. Besides, most of the toys are also made of plastics, which is not an environmentally friendly material.
Therefore, to be able to give an affordable toy together with an environmental-friendly concept, Eni followed the idea of Indonesian tradition, in which the parents will make toys for their children by using natural materials. Eventually, Eni, the founder of Kakardusan, invented the toys made of recycled carton, a material that can be easily found in every household or waste recycling points.
“Do not be afraid to start your business. Just be innovative!” said Eni. She designs all the toys by herself and works together with her brother to find recycled cartons as the raw material. The finished toys are sold online and posted on Instagram so that her idea can reach more and more people beyond boundaries.
Eni’s daughter, Najma, is her inspiration. Kakardusan was invented when Najma cried out for a new toy. Eni felt a bit hesitant to buy because of the high price of children's toys. She also wanted to give a suitable toy for Najma’s age. Eni’s creative thinking drove her to create a new toy for Najma by using cartons. She kept improving the design and material used. Now she knows which carton best suits the production of the toys. She uploaded photos to Instagram and her followers and friends loved the toys. Some of them hey asked Eni to make one for their children as well, and as time went by, due to high demand, Eni launched a separate Instagram account to sell her products to the public.
Eni is also active in “Mamah Bandung”, Mothers in Bandung community. Being part of a community of mothers who love their children and always want to give them the best, has helped Eni to become more creative in designing new toys.
“At first, I never thought of selling my products to the public. I just wanted to give a good toy to my daughter,” said Eni.
“Because I love children, I was enjoying every second I spent with my daughter. I needed a new toy for my daughter and it becme a new source of income for our family. Alhamdulillah (Thanks to God),” said Eni.
In the short term, Kakardusan already became a new source of saving for Eni because she does not have to buy pricey toys for Najma anymore. But since Eni’s friends know about Kakardusan, the number of orders is consistently growing, and it became a new source of income for her family. Eni does not only sell products, but also held workshops. She held workshops for mothers and children to teach them how to make recycled toys by themselves. She also provided a fun workshop for children after a natural disaster, as a trauma healing program in Lombok. As a result, children could enjoy the session and forget about their trauma.
In the long term, considering the current children toys in Indonesia are mostly made of plastic, these plastic toys will become one of the major wastes which can cause severe damage to the environment. So, Kakardusan’s environmentally friendly children toys can be the solution for this issue.
After two years of running the business, Kakardusan monthly revenue ranged from 200 thousand rupiahs to 2 million rupiahs; 12.5 EUR – 125 EUR monthly. Due to the rapid increase of orders, Eni now needs to cooperate with factories of recycled carton to supply the raw material, which costs around 20% of gross sales. The income comes from selling the products, and holding workshop and seminars.
Kakardusan benefits the environment by recycling used cartons (less waste and less use of plastic) and by providing workshops in which Eni stresses the importance of environmental protection. Moreover, Kakardusan also contributes to local employment. Since Eni has been endorsed by an Indonesian actress (called Andien), the number of orders has been growing significantly and there are now several part-time students around her area coming to her place to help her. By making money out of used cartons, Eni became an example of empowerment for her family. Within her community, Eni also shared her innovation and inspired others to also recycle their cartons. For children at school and in the area after the natural disaster, she provides fun activities which teach them to be creative and to be responsible for the waste they produce. Her next step is to have a Youtube channel to share this method further to all corners of the world.
Get stories of positive business innovations from around the world delivered right to your inbox.
Eni Nuraeni, Founder
A toy could play a major role in children’s education. Through toys, children could engage and interact with the environment around them from a very early stage. Therefore, in Indonesia, a mother from Bandung, Eni, has designed recycled carton-made toys for her daughter since 2017. Her toys not only reuse waste but also have educational value.
The idea of her toys perfectly fits in the UN Global Goals like climate actions and reduce inequality because the recycled material and the price of her toys are more affordable than the plastic-made toys on the market, so she can reach more children. In the beginning, she did not have a commercial plan since these toys were only designed for personal use. However, with the increasing awareness of environmental conservation, more and more parents have noticed her toys and the meaning behind them.
Currently, besides selling her toys online, she also organizes toy workshops in schools to share her vision of saving the environment. Her goal is to spread out her vision further globally and let every child be aware of our living environment.