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Entrepreneur from Natal reused 1.3 tons of discarded tarps and transformed the material into more than 4,000 sustainable bags and accessories.
In 2026, the story of Mychelle Magalli da Silva from Natal gained prominence in Exame for combining entrepreneurship, circular economy, and social impact in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The former teacher created Virô Bolsas Sustentáveis, a brand that transforms event tarps and other discarded materials into bags, cases, backpacks, and personalized accessories.
The business stands out for its numbers: according to Exame, the company has already diverted more than 1.3 tons of waste from landfills, reused 2,500 square meters of tarps, and produced over 4,000 pieces for clients such as Sebrae-RN, Sesi, Shopping Midway Mall, Funcern, and Grupo Estácio.
Former teacher from Natal found in discarded tarps a way to turn waste into a sustainable business
Before venturing into business, Mychelle Magalli da Silva worked for over 15 years in early childhood education. The contact with manual activities, material reuse, and crafts was already part of the school routine, but the professional shift came after a period of depression and stepping away from the classroom.
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According to Exame, in 2019 she bought a sewing machine initially thinking of producing clothes. The path changed when she found discarded tarps after local events and started transforming the first scraps into bags and cases.
What started as a manual test gained demand on social networks. The first orders showed there was a market for a product made from waste, but with finish, utility, and environmental narrative.
Event tarps, banners, and sewable materials became raw materials for bags, backpacks, and corporate gifts
Virô Bolsas Sustentáveis was born with a simple logic: take materials that would be discarded and transform them into products with a new function. Muda o Mundo Nordeste describes the brand as a circular fashion initiative from Natal that transforms event tarps into bags, cases, backpacks, and sustainable accessories. The proposal is to work with materials that would normally go to improper disposal, landfills, or common trash.
The model also gained strength in the corporate market. Companies that previously discarded banners and tarps started using this waste as a basis for gifts, kits, and socio-environmental actions. In 2024, the Sebrae News Agency of Rio Grande do Norte showcased a direct example of this logic: tarps used in Carnatal were destined for the production of two thousand school cases for public school students in Natal.
Support from Sebrae helped transform craftsmanship into an operation with process, scale, and traceability
The professionalization of the business involved Sebrae-RN. According to Exame, the institution supported Mychelle in financial organization, business positioning, and catalog expansion. The company also participated in impact programs, such as Impacta RN and Regenera Sebrae, an initiative in partnership with Yunus Social Business aimed at socio-environmental impact businesses with a technological or digital basis.
This process allowed for advancements in machinery, standardization, production control, and impact measurement. Traceability became an important differentiator, especially for corporate clients who need to prove sustainability actions.
Business moved from artisanal reuse to operating as a reverse logistics solution for companies
The strongest point of the agenda is that Virô doesn’t just sell sustainable bags. The company delivers a reverse logistics solution. In practice, a company generates banners, tarpaulins, or visual communication materials at events. Then, instead of sending everything to the trash, these residues are sent to Virô, which transforms the material into corporate gifts, cases, bags, or customized pieces.
This model makes the residue part of the company’s own narrative. The material that would previously be an environmental problem becomes a product with history, function, and brand value.
Brand also created an income network for women who work with sewing in Natal
Besides the environmental impact, Virô Sustainable Bags developed a social front. According to Exame, the operation employs women in vulnerable situations and offers technical training in sewing and upcycling. Agora RN also reported that women work in production in a decentralized manner, at home, with pay per production and support from the entrepreneur.
This aspect broadens the journalistic weight of the agenda: it’s not just a recycling business, but an operation that connects waste, income, training, and female entrepreneurship.
From Natal to larger showcases, company tries to turn environmental impact into a product desired by the market
Brand recognition grew with participation in fairs, programs, and awards. Exame reports that Mychelle won second place in the state stage of the Sebrae Woman in Business Award 2025, in the Individual Microentrepreneur category, in addition to participating in initiatives such as Sebrae Impacta 2024, Solution Incubator at COP30, ODS Connection, Brazil Shows Brazil and Midway Fashion Days.
The brand also entered the radar of events related to sustainable fashion. According to Exame, Virô would be at Inspira Mais, in Porto Alegre, in January 2026, and would return to São Paulo in July to seek new buyers and business connections.
What makes Virô a strong topic for Google Discover
The strength of this story lies in the combination of numbers, local origin, and visual transformation. The waste is easy to imagine: tarpaulins, banners, and event materials. The final product is also concrete: bags, cases, backpacks, and accessories. Between one end and the other, there are strong numbers, such as 1.3 tons diverted from landfills, 2.5 thousand square meters of tarpaulins reused, and more than 4 thousand pieces produced.
It’s the kind of topic that works because it shows an unlikely turnaround: something made to be discarded after a few days of an event returns to the market as a durable, personalized product with sustainable appeal.
