Reuse-Reduce-Recycle – the three “R’s” the mantra for environment conservation. All of us have heard of it but only few start initiatives that put words into action.
Anita and Shalabh Ahuja founded Conserve India as an NGO to recycle the waste in their neighbourhood that wasn’t being managed by local authorities. They quickly realised that plastic bags pose the biggest problem in Delhi, not only because there are so many of them but also because they could not be recycled locally. After much experimentation the team at Conserve India realised that the solution lays in upcycling the bags into sheets of plastic that could be reinvented as fashion accessories. They named this material Handmade Recycled Plastic. Conserve converts the ‘nuisance’ called plastic into coveted handbags, shoes and accessories.
Handmade Recycled Plastic :
Over 300 crafts persons and rag pickers are employed with Conserve in Delhi and Haryana.
Conserve upcycles approximately 1.5 to 2 tons of waste into 5000 HRP sheets every month. It has not only brought dignity to the rag pickers but pays them thrice as much they would be paid outside. These workers of Conserve also undergo medical screenings to help them diagnose health problems on time and send their young children to the Conserve School. It has trained more than 1200 people making of handbags and footwear.
Conserve works with different kinds of materials like plastic, rubber tubes, denim, seat belts, and old fabrics. Conserve products are sold across various international stores across the globe.
Some people behind Conserve India:
Santosh Kumar started collecting plastic bags for Conserve because he can earn three times as much selling his bags to be made into Handmade Recycled Plastic instead of selling the rubbish he collects elsewhere. Bharti has been working for Conserve from the start and has done many jobs. Today she works in one of the most important departments of the whole organisation; quality control and packing. Alka and Aditi meet buyers and collaborate with designers, as well as maintain relationships with long standing clients, and establish new contacts with potential customers.
To know more visit www.conserveindia.org
Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee works with niiti and is a development economist and works as a consultant for the development sector. Designing, strategising and fathoming impacts of initiatives aimed at upliftment of socio-economic conditions of the underprivileged is her forte. She helps organisations both profit and not-for-profit, who think and work for the underprivileged. She conducts socio economic impact studies, monitoring and evaluation of projects, documentation of initiatives and case studies.
