According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, India generates 70 million metrics of municipal solid waste every year. Out of this, only 20 per cent is recycled and the rest ends up in landfills and oceans affecting humans, and marine life, along with destroying the environment. Alarming isn’t it?
For these reasons, it is crucial to keep working towards more sustainable solutions: reusing and recycling might be one of them. From reducing landfill to saving money, buying an upcycled or pre-loved object not only gives it new life but is also good for the earth.
Here are some brands that help you get one step closer to a sustainable future by turning out beautiful products using pre-used materials.
Kuppikali
In Malayalam, Kuppikali loosely translates to ‘playing with bottles’ (‘Kuppi’ means bottle and ‘Kali’ means to play). And that’s exactly what Nikita John has been doing. She cuts used bottles, fires them and gives them a new lease of life as lamps, walls frames, vases, candle holders, serve wares and other items.
The pieces are quirky, fun and playful. My favourites are the Hipster Pipe Lamps made using industrial grade iron pipes, a 4 watt LED bulb and of course, an empty bottle. It’s the perfect statement lamp for your living room, home bar or bed side table.
Shady Lamps made with empty alcohol bottles and (sometimes upcycled) cloth lamp shades make for great conversation starters.
Also worth checking out are the Chakna Platters made by firing bottles to double the temperatures. They can be used to serve sushi, dry snacks, finger food or even to hold knick-kacks like earrings on your bedside table. If you have a special occasion bottle (like a Champagne bottle you popped open at your wedding) that you would like to treasure, simply send them over to Kuppikali for a beautiful keepsake. Otherwise just shop from the numerous items on their website. Prices range from Rs 500-2,950.
Shop here: www.kuppikali.com
Oorjaa
Lamps made of lantana a highly destructive weed have been illuminating homes and offices all over India thanks to the creative genius of Bangalore based designer Jenny Pinto. “Lantana stems have an inherent ability to bend and create shapes seamlessly. I thought of creating a line of lamps that are not just beautiful but also easy to maintain,” says Pinto. Lantana is, in fact, one of the 10 worst invasive species of the world causing a menace and invading our forests. The southern, Western Ghats, Shivalik hills and central India are the worst hit. Making lamps out of lantana is a way to contain its spread and manage it in a better way. Apart from the aesthetic appeal lantana based products are also low-cost, durable and resistant to termite and bedbugs. It also scores on maintenance, as the products only require a coat of varnish paint once a year.
Shop here: www.oorjaa.in
Diti
Delhi-based Diti makes gorgeous fashion and home décor pieces. But here’s the catch: they are all made from discarded fabrics and jute. Diti Mistry, the founder started by collecting waste fabric from local tailors, boutiques, weavers and block printers to upcycle them into pieces of art.
Just see the swanky Maldhari Man cushion or the fierce and colourful bull heads made with bandhani or ajrakh scraps and finished with tassels, shells and ghungroos. The Frida Kahlo collection is another head turner from Diti. Products start at Rs 650 and go up to Rs 5,000.
Shop here: www.ditimistry.in
Artisanns Nest
Priya Bawa started Artisanns Nest in 2015 to create products out of all the pre-consumed textile waste. Since then she has rescued more than 1,000 kg of textile waste and channelled them into beautiful patch work bean bags, cushion covers, floor mats and coasters. “By creating products and services out of leftover fabric, we not only help the environment but also minimise the wastage of the material that has been discarded and considerably reduce wastage of the resources like water, oil, toxic chemicals which were utilised to manufacture these in the first place,” says Bawa, who tries to minimise the wastage by patching up small fabric leftovers. That’s the reason most of their products are in patchwork style. Prices start at Rs 180 onwards and go up to Rs 5,500.
Shop here: www.artisannsnest.com
Niche Studio
Bored of the same old lamps, shelves, hangers and wall mounts? Check out Bengaluru-based Niche Studio that creates beautifully crafted décor items using upcycled materials. My favourite picks? The leather strap wooden shelf made of used leather belts and the single-toned table made of reclaimed pine. The best part is that the brand is open to customisation as per your requirement and imagination. Founder Trupti Ashok started small by upcycling used items into home decor products for family and friends. The feedback she received goaded her to launch a business venture.
Order via Instagram @niche_design_studio
Econiture
A brain child of industrial engineer Madhur Rathi, Econiture makes furniture from 100 per cent recycled plastic which would have otherwise ended up on the landfill or in the ocean. The range comprises of a variety of chairs, writing desks, racks, stands, tables and benches among other things. Recycle Bell Private Limited the waste management company that owns Econiture employs mostly women who segregate and sort the plastic before its turned into furniture. The price range of the products start from Rs 300 and go up to Rs 29,000. According to the company website, the manufacturing process does not use any chemicals or colour pigments.
Shop here: www. econiture.com
ScrapShala
This Varanasi-based online start-up up-cycles everything from discarded wood, liquor bottles and scrap fabric to flat tyres and even cassette holders into stunning décor and utility items. The venture was started in 2016 by Shikha Shah and has so far re-purposed more than 100,000 kg of non-biodegradable scrap from getting dumped into landfills.
“I wanted the company to upcycle non-biodegradable material and create beautiful things with it, as well as employ the artisans in my city,” says Shah who grew up seeing her mother being creative with non-usable things. I particularly love the stylish laptop bags made from old newspapers and magazines and sunglass case and quirky stools from discarded tyres. You can even ship them your old sarees and distressed furniture for gorgeous quilts, planter stands or mandala trunks. Prices of the products are Rs 245 upwards.
Shop here: www.scrapshala.com
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