In Jaipur, designer and entrepreneur Spriha Chokhani is upcycling waste paper into furniture. Through her startup design studio Pulp Factory, founded in 2017, Chokhani produces a range 100% compostable papier-Mache furniture that can support up to 100 kg (220 lbs).
The idea came to her during a school project at Srishti Institute of Art, Design, and Technology a decade ago. “We were supposed to work with materials and I started noticing that a lot of people were working bamboo or cane. While this helped in developing more products, materials like papier Mache were heavily ignored. Other than a few souvenirs from Bihar and Kashmir, this material was hardly ever explored. This is what got me really curious,” Chokhani tells The Better India.
To make a piece of furniture, Chokhani uses 5-8 kg of waste paper, sourced from local scrap collectors, and natural, odor-free glue. Each item takes up to 25 days to produce. “Initially, when I was making the furniture, I was using strong adhesives made with chemicals,” she says. “That had a negative impact on my health. I began questioning myself about what is the point of making a product if it isn’t maker-friendly. That is when I decided to look out for natural materials that ensure the wellbeing of whoever was making the furniture.”