KOCHI: If you check the closets in your room or the attic of your home, you are bound to come across heaps of books, assignments and random sheets of paper from your school days that were tossed aside years ago to never be seen or used again. Few of us keep them for their nostalgic value, while others may be too lazy to do something about them. Now, imagine being able to recycle these crumbled papers into fine-textured ones. Even better, what if you can make cute journals of your choice. Interestingly, you don’t even need advanced machinery to achieve this, just your two hands.
Kochi native Hilonee K Shah is exploring this possibility of upcycling used sheets of paper to make handcrafted premium paper products. The 22-year-old, who is a strong advocate of eco-friendly, minimalist, zero-waste lifestyle, is promoting the reuse and recycling culture through her homegrown brand, Papier Culture.
She started the venture in 2020, during the first lockdown. Her brand creates recycled paper, journals, notebooks, wedding invitations, tags, postcards, calendars, and other customised products. “I was intrigued by stationery items, art and craft since I was a kid. But it is not just that., I have always wanted to revive discarded items and reduce the amount of waste we throw into the planet,” says Hilonee.
The artist uses everything from A4 sheet paper to newspapers for this purpose. “Now, I source the used sheets of paper from offices and CA officials. They usually burn these heaps of paper. I help them avoid that,” adds Hilonee. The recycled A4 sheets come out as white while newspapers carry a grey tint with speckles when revived. She claims that handmade paper has a niche market in India. “Writers prefer them, even creative professionals,” she says.
In the digital age, Hilonee is bringing back the ‘pen and paper’ aesthetics. After shredding the paper to several bits and soaking them for 24 hours, the mixture is blended nicely in the grinder, forming the pulp. “At this stage, one can add dye of their choice to give the paper some colour,” she adds. The pulp is then added to a tub of water and using a deckle (a flat strainer), the remainings are collected and transferred to a sheet of paper. Once dried completely, the recycled paper is ready for use. Though the process is time-consuming and requires a lot of patience, Hilonee says she prefers this over using machines. “Each step is therapeutic. It is a great stress-buster for me. Also, using machines would beat the whole idea of using handmade paper,” says Hilonee.
The recycled paper is also durable and doesn’t tear easily. “They last for over four years if used properly,” adds Hilonee. Minimal floral prints, boho designs or handpainted or printed motifs make them more attractive.
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Nature-friendly
Papier culture is eco-friendly in both making and packaging. “It is hard not to include plastic in packaging, some amount is likely to get added even without our notice. As a sustainable and eco-friendly brand, I even refuse the use of cello tapes. Instead, we use activated tapes and starch instead of glue,” says Hilonee. The residues from the papermaking process are used to make the next batch of items. Nothing is wasted at Papier Culture.
Challenges
The biggest challenge for Hilonee and her small brand is a lack of awareness. “People in our country are less mindful of the waste they generate. So they don’t even consider the possibility of recycling. In foreign countries, recycled paper is a luxury and they have all the means to do it as well. Papermakers like me have a tough time sourcing the right products and ingredients because they are hard to find. I even had to customise the deckle,” says Hilonee. Also, since the paper is recycled, many people expect it to be cheap. “The amount of labour that goes into making each paper is indescribable, and it is priced accordingly,” she adds