Running an export business is rarely straightforward, but few founders find themselves managing supply chains through power cuts, border closures, and false accusations of terrorism. For New Zealand entrepreneur Emma Conyngham, creator of the eco-friendly brand Waste Free Celebrations, manufacturing reusable Christmas crackers and fabric gift bags in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan has become an exercise in daily endurance, the NZ Herald reported.
What began in 2020 as a modest enterprise sewing reusable holiday packaging from a Wānaka home has transformed into an international logistics challenge. After domestic manufacturing proved too expensive to sustain surging order volumes, the business explored production through Afghan refugees in Pakistan. When mass deportations disrupted that plan in 2023, Conyngham’s business partner, Rahila Sayed, proposed opening a workshop in Kabul.
From Wānaka Kitchen Tables to a Kabul Mansion
By 2024, the enterprise had rented a sprawling, older mansion in Kabul and hired 34 local women. Many are widows or have husbands unable to work due to ties with the former Western-backed Afghan Republic. The products—ranging from fabric gift bags for Hanukkah and Diwali to seven sizes of reusable cotton Christmas crackers—earned the top honor in the 2026 Clean + Conscious Awards, alongside a gold award and editor’s choice.
Yet the daily reality on the ground bears little resemblance to sustainability awards ceremonies. Conyngham manages the business from Auckland, bankrolling the operation while Sayed spends eight months of the year overseeing production in Kabul. The obstacles they face, however, stem largely from international friction rather than local interference.
“All of the issues relating to operating in Afghanistan are because of how other countries perceive Afghanistan, not actually what it’s like to operate there,” Conyngham told the NZ Herald.
Air Freight Costs Skyrocket Amid Closed Borders
With the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan largely closed and shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz constrained, standard container transport is unavailable. The company relies entirely on expensive air freight to deliver goods to New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Britain. Last year’s shipping bill reached $68,500. This year, that figure skyrocketed to $287,250.
Compounding the financial strain, a recent shipment airfreighted from Kabul to the United States was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection at JFK Airport in New York, incurring an additional US$13,000 release fee. Bureaucratic hurdles and regional disputes have resulted in ruined inventory, including 70,000 brand labels destroyed because Pakistani authorities demanded an $8,900 release fee that exceeded the value of the tags.
Inside the Kabul factory, infrastructure failures present constant interruptions. Power cuts leave the workshop without electricity for most of the day, shutting down sewing machines and the electric water pump. When the solar panels overheat or fail, local boys are hired to haul water containers up the steps, and drinking water must be purchased from local markets.
Dealing with Red Tape and False Accusations
Administrative tasks require extraordinary patience and manpower. Because women in Afghanistan face strict travel restrictions requiring a male chaperone, the company employs a male driver, Noori, to transport workers and accompany Sayed through government departments. Securing necessary stamps and signatures can take an entire day, requiring more than a dozen approvals just to move a single shipment.
The risks extend beyond paperwork. Following a trade dispute with a Pakistani cotton mill over unusable fabric, an angry supplier reported Conyngham and Sayed to the Taliban as ISIS operatives. The false accusation halted online export portal access until digital proof of the business disagreement was provided to government officials, clearing the company’s name within an hour.
Despite these hazards, the factory provides vital incomes in a restricted economic environment. While the Taliban prohibits women from working in NGOs, government roles, or professional careers, private sector employment remains permissible. United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett noted that providing employment for Afghan women is beneficial, provided conditions and pay are fair.
With the land currently housing the factory having been requisitioned by the government administration, the search for new premises is already under way. Conyngham and Sayed continue to adapt, hoping future policy shifts will reopen the border to Karachi and bring shipping costs back under control.
