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An Innovation for the books – Masks from Trees

Thu 26 Aug 2021    
EcoBalance
| 3 min read

Meet Nitin Vas, an environmental activist from Mangaluru, Karnataka, who has invented a one-of-a-kind product: a seed-filled single-use mask. 

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, face masks have become the new normal around the world. Although wearing a mask is necessary to prevent the infection from spreading, many individuals neglect the environmental impact of discarding single-use masks. 

When put in soil, it grows into a plant. 

After the success of Covid, his social enterprise, Paper Seed Co, which has been creating recycled and plant seed products since 2017, began experimenting with masks. Nitin is a follower of Gandhiji’s Swadeshi philosophy, which inspired him to launch a project to save the environment during the epidemic. 

“We make a variety of seed-based items, including seed masks. Our major goal is to give a sustainable and eco-friendly substitute to the masks that are currently in use,”

 The seed masks were first introduced by Nitin in March of this year. In 2017, he created Paper Seed Co, which already manufactures eco-friendly goods and believes that nothing is wasted. 

They started with seed sheets and worked their way up to seed pencils, pens, and a variety of other items. Paper Seed Co. also makes invitation cards, visiting cards, and even books that grow into plants when thrown into the ground. 

“We provide adequate training to remote village women and youths, as well as the raw materials used to produce the items,” he said.

“The masks we make are biodegradable and also the straps are cotton. Its unique feature, however, contains seeds that when deposited they develop into plants,” he added.

Nitin further added, “Initially, we gave away the masks for free but not anymore. To create job opportunities for the rural people we sell it for Rs. 25 (AED 1.24) and it is totally handmade. More than India, we received the majority of the orders from abroad. They also wanted to develop the concept.”

Cotton shreds from the textile sector are used to make the masks. The masks’ outside covers are made of cotton pulp formed from various scrap materials gathered from the garment industry, while the inside linings are made of soft cotton cloth. The biodegradable masks are thick and effective in keeping the virus at bay. 

Nitin Vas

“We were working with 32 families, but after our market collapsed during the first lockdown we had to cut down the workers. One of the major challenges is that our products are made out of seeds having around 3-4 months shelf life. It was a total waste as we were not able to sell them during the lockdown.”

They don’t just develop products to have a low environmental impact; they also avoid employing machinery that could be hazardous to the environment. Nitin makes seed badges resembling the Indian flag colours out of Areca palm leaf, which may also be grown as plants after disposal, for Independence Day. 

Vegetable seeds such as Brinjal, Tomato, and Palak are also included in the badges. It can be grown in the garden, in pots, or on other surfaces

Not only that, but the Rakhis themselves are composed of areca nut leaf and plant-growing paper pulp. 

Nitin expressed his plans, “We want to start a Paper Seed Village in the future. This is to generate jobs for rural women and, we want to create a natural and eco-friendly environment rather than a corporate ambiance. We don’t want to restrict people’s freedom of thinking.”

Agencies


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