Sustainability, eco-friendly and women empowerment are the primary aims of Government and society. Working on these very lines, a company in Kerala which is owned by 65 women from Scheduled Caste and tribal communities is creating objects which are ecology friendly and alternative to plastics.

The name of the company is Fibrent – the Craft Women and it manufactures products which have utilitarian value using natural fibres. The initiative came into being to help women who had been adversely affected by the floods in 2018 and it was facilitated by Oxfam and an NGO, Rights, while the company was registered in 2020.

At present the products are made from bamboo and they range from lamp shades to hangers and pen stands to mazhamooli which is a musical instrument. Speaking to New Indian Express, Ajay Kumar VB from the NGO said: “We are bringing in a wide range of products as well as ensuring that they stand apart in terms of design and functionality, compared to similar products available in the market.”

There are four units of the company which are functioning and these are located in Pathanamthitta and Tiruvalla and the tribal hamlets Thattekannankudy and Chinnapparakudy in Adimali in Idukki.

The raw material also comes from sustainable sources. Sharing details, Kumar said: “Bamboo is collected sustainably, from homesteads and never from riverbanks. The focus is always on creating utilitarian products that are designed well. So be it paper clips, office trays, pen holders or tea strainers, every other article is being made using bamboo.  There is no use in producing traditional products that are available in the market now. The cardinal rule is that no decor pieces would be produced and that our products are climate-smart.”

The company is looking at other fibres that can be used for making these products while also exploring making furniture using natural fibres. Further, with the many women eager to join, it intends to become a 300-member enterprise.