Your child’s school reopens next week and you realise you have not put together his/her back-to-school kit. You make a quick stop at the mall, or better still, go online and get plastic tiffin boxes, water bottles and polyester school bags in superhero prints delivered home. While eco-friendly is a term one usually does not associate with school accessories, it is never too late to start. Note that stainless steel tiffin boxes, a staple of Indian households, are making a comeback in department stores, while the infamous manja pai (cloth bag) has now evolved into several chic versions. So how do you get your little one familiarised with these traditional accessories?
The key, experts say, is in catching them young — as early as pre-school. Closer home, three Indian designers tell us how to help children make the green switch:
Rahul Mishra
The best way to go green is by going back to our roots, says the designer whose daughter, Aarna, is getting ready to go to school in July. Mishra has tons of ideas for her school kit: DIY bags from old, treasured saris, lightweight glass water bottles, and more.
“We get a lot of leftover fabric at the studio and I am patching them up to make a bag for her. I remember my mother making similar ones from upcycled saris. They look beautiful and also add a personal touch that affords a sort of familiarity to the child,” he says. Mishra also opts for glass and steel water bottles from Borosil to go along with Aarna’s lunch.
A Paris Fashion Week favourite, the designer suggests better options for school uniforms. “Forget whites. Go for gingham or other checks as washing the former takes a lot more electricity, water and effort.”
Putting his recycle principle to practice at home, Mishra, 38, says Aarna is a ‘hand-me-down’ baby. “Most of her clothes were owned by my sister’s children. And now that she’s growing out of them, we’re giving them away to whoever needs it. When you buy less, you contribute more to the world.”
Anavila Misra
Her son, Rudra, will be heading to the seventh grade in two months and by now, the Mumbai-based designer is quite familiar with the back-to-school grind. She has brands at her fingertips. “Lunch boxes made with bamboo fibre are a great option. But if you’re looking for something less-expensive, Muji offers colourful glass and steel tiffin boxes and bottles.”
The self-confessed stationery geek also suggests DIY pencil cases and geometry boxes. “Rudra always carries a fabric pouch. If you have old textiles that you can put together, use them to make one,” she says. For handmade stationery, she suggests the Mumbai-based brand, Eco Corner.
Tying to inculcate a sense of responsibility in her 11-year-old, the designer has banned plastic at home. “Rudra understands water and paper wastage. He has learned how paper is made and why it needs to be re-purposed,” she says, adding, “The starting point is the realisation of the impact our lifestyle has on nature, and then the willingness to change. Our daily habits can be managed well through a more conscious approach around quantity of consumption and making sure whatever we use can be recycled.”
Paromita Banerjee
The Kolkata-based designer’s world still revolves around toys and diapers; schooldays are a long way off as her daughter, Ekantika, is only eight-months-old. But Banerjee believes in making an early start. “The more you habituate your child to certain things in infancy, the more he/she understands.”
Her go-to brand for bags right now is The Burlap People, who make everything from diaper bags to backpacks out of burlap. “Ekantika’s diaper bag is custom-made in Indigo burlap. It looks like a weekender bag and I had it made with two bottle holders and lots of space inside.”
As a replacement for plastic boxes, she suggests bamboo fibre. “For feeding sets like cups and bowls, I use biodegradable products from Cloud 9. “They are made of bamboo powder pressed into container shapes. I love the animated cartoon shapes they come in,” adds the 34-year-old.
Natural cottons and handwoven fabrics are also something she would want for Ekantika. “The organic cotton series from Muji is great,” says Banerjee, adding, “I’m a huge fan of Sasha Fair Trade, which makes kidswear in handmade fabrics and cotton, and soft toys with recyclable materials.”
An ardent supporter of the ‘handmade’ tag, she is as practical about everyday life as she is passionate about being eco-friendly. “Not everyone can afford sustainable products for many reasons, be it money or time. If, for whatever reason, you’re forced to use plastic, it can be one quality piece you can re-use instead of using multiple use-and-throw products,” she concludes.
