How Many Elephants create 100% handmade Lokta paper products
The paper is dyed using vegetable dyes and dip-dye processed which absorbs all chemical dyes, which are ozone and chlorine-free
Each Lokta plant has the astonishing ability to grow many new stems after being harvested for production. A few years after harvest, what was one Lokta plant will be five or six new plants.
Waste is minimal since all rejected products are recycled. The company is now doing research into the use of agricultural waste, including banana leaves, cardamom stalks and rice husks for paper production. They are also exploring the possibility of using other plants like hemp and mitsumata (Japanese for Edgeworthia chrysantha) to make their paper
The Lokta is purchased directly from rural-based Lokta harvesters and paper processors as well as by contracting community forest groups, providing the poor with a source of income and encouraging bottom-up development
The manufacturing of these products promotes Himalayan culture and preserves the traditional Nepalese papermaking techniques. It also provides education and a source of income to the artisans and their families
The producers of the How Many Elephants stationary have started a school in Kathmandu which has 410 students, many from underprivileged families. All students in need receive scholarships to the school. They also provided each of their 91 employees 33,000 RS (£227) after the 2015 earthquake in order for them to get a roof over the heads and to buy food for their families
