At KHADI PAPERS INDIA, we make paper from offcuts from cotton T-shirts which arrive in massive jute sacks from hosiery mills. As well as making paper from recyced cotton we also make paper from recycled jute (yes, those same jute sacks) and from tropical crop residual fibres, banana leaf and sugar cane. None of these papers are made from wood pulp and there is no negative impact on India’s forest resources.

Papermaking is totally dependent on water and our supply comes from our own bore well and from rainwater capture. We recognise the value of water and we ensure none of it is wasted. First the “virgin” water is used for white papers, then it is recycled for light, then dark colours and for crop fibre papers. No chlorine, bleaches or harmful chemicals are used in any of our papers and the final run-off is pH neutral and has been passed for irrigation use by the Karnataka state authority. We use this water on our organic farm where among other things we grow the best Alphonso mangoes I’ve ever tasted – reason enough to be in India in the hot season.

Supporting WaterAid

For more than 15 years KHADI PAPERS has supported WaterAid projects in India and Nepal. WaterAid is an international NGO dedicated to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world’s poorest people. Water Aid uses low cost technologies to achieve practical results.
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In Nepal and Bhutan the harvesting of lokta bark in the Himalayan forests provides much needed work for local people in the hill areas. The bark is stripped and the plants are cropped above ground level ensuring that they regrow from the radial root. They can be reharvested after 3 to 4 years. This is a sustainable and renewable forest resource. KHADI PAPERS has developed a new method of preparing lokta fibre using soda ash instead of caustic soda. Not only does this produce a stronger, more durable paper, the run-off can also be used as a fertiliser so the environmental impact is actually positive.