Tucked in a bylane of Bharathi Park is the office of the Eco Green Unit, an NGO that makes eco-friendly products out of agri-waste. C. Murali Krishnan, the Business Development Head shows me baskets, mats, curtains, bags, and pen holders that are made of banana fibre. There are also stacks of plates and food containers made of areca leaves and coir pots.
Areca plates at Eco Green Unit
Eco Green Unit works with around 7000 areca farmers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “ Each areca nut tree sheds around seven-14 leaves in a year, usually in the months between January and September. We take the leaves from the farmers and ensure we have enough leaves to last us the year.” The areca leaves are soaked and pressed into shape by a machine. The unit manufactures spoons in three sizes - tea poon, table spoon and soup spoon and the plates are customised. They also have containers with lids and tumblers. “But I cannot guarantee that the tumblers are 100% leak proof”, warns Krishnan.
The banana fibre is sourced from farmers in Kerala, Maharashtra, Assam, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. “They are farmers who have bought the fibre extracting machines from us. We have tied up with the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) to provide training on these machines. A certificate from TNAU gets the farmers a subsidy of 25% for the machines”, says Krishnan. A banana tree can produce around 300 g to 2 kg fibre. Lesser the water content in the tree the more will be the quantity of the fibre that is extracted. It is then dried.
Banana Fibre bags at Eco Green Unit
These fibres, each of which is as thick as a strand of hair, are then woven into products. Water is added to the fibre before weaving to make if soft and flexible. Getting the measurements right is very important says Krishnan. “Too much water will lead to fungus growth and too little will cause breakage of the fibre.” Banana fibres have a cooling property as they absorb excess moisture from the air and keep the surroundings cool. Banana fibre products are washable and have a durability of more than two years. Krishnan suggests the products, like mats, baskets, curtains and bags are to be kept in dry areas to avoid fungus. “If they come in contact with water, dry it under the sun for 45 minutes.” The products are coloured with natural dyes.“Our colours are limited. Yellow is from turmeric, green from leaves and red from beetroot”, says Krishnan.
The unit also manufactures flower pots made of coconut husk procured from Pollachi and Palakkad. The husk is moulded into shape with the help of machines. They are treated with natural latex to retain their form. Eco Green Unit export their products to 11 countries including France, Germany, California, Norway, Abu Dhabi, Seychelles, Mauritius, Australia and Ireland. They are now working on a project to make banana leaf cups and introduce them into the market.
Info you can use
Where: 8th Cross, Bharathi Park, Saibaba Colony
Contact: 7708202420, 9976976767
