Wonderbag

Wonderbag / Photo via Facebook

South Africa’s ‘Wonderbag’ named as one of the world’s most genius products

Time Magazine has released its list of the 50 most genius companies in the world.

Wonderbag

Wonderbag / Photo via Facebook

Wonderbag, a company and product funded by entrepreneur Sarah Collins, has been ranked as one of the world’s most genius innovations.

Time Magazine has released its list of the 50 most genius companies in the world. Companies are ranked on their ability to find a creative solution to problems facing the global community.

According to Business Tech, Time conducted the survey by asking its global network of editors and correspondents to nominate companies which were “inventing the future”. These businesses were then judged on key factors, including originality, influence, success and ambition.

South Africa’s Wonderbag

The Wonderbag, which is produced in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, managed to crack the list of innovation heavyweights. This simple, environmentally conscious slow-cooker was created almost ten years ago and is designed to heat and cook food without the use of electricity.

The innovative thermal design allows the bag to retain heat for up to 12 hours. However, food still needs to be cooked, over a fire or on the stove, before being placed inside the bag, where it will continue to cook using its own heat.

Collins says that the Wonderbag was designed for areas in Africa where electricity supply was regularly disrupted. Over the last decade, over 1.5 million of the bags have been produced, with many of them being used by the Red Cross in refugee camps in Uganda and Rwanda.

Thanks to Eskom

Eskom’s incompetence, resulting in load shedding, actually inspired Collins to develop the Wonderbag back in 2008. Collins, along with poverty activist, Moshy Mathe, designed the bag to reduce fuel costs and ease deforestation of natural reserves.

The Wonderbag is made up of an inner layer of insulation containing recycled polystyrene balls, with an outer. It’s these polystyrene balls, which in time is due to be replaced with a polyurethane blend, that allows the principle of thermal cooking to work within the bag.

The Wonderbag is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to half a ton per year if used three times a week, by cutting down on the burning of fuels.

Watch: The Wonderbag in use