When Kavya Madappa’s venture Amanvana spa resort at Coorg, planted over 300 species of plants and became home to 65 species of birds, little did she realise how saving trees would lead to her next entrepreneurial journey. The resort’s need to constantly print brochures, bills, etc led Madappa to sense the need for eco-friendly paper. That is how Bluecat Paper came to be born.
Kavya shares, “A tree needs to grow at least 5-8 years before it can be cut for paper, and by this time, it has built its own little ecosystem. Therefore, when 50,000 hectares are cut at one go just for paper, we know it will have an impact on the environment.”
The entrepreneur embarked on some research and undertook a few paper making classes, through which she learnt that paper can be created using other resources. In her words, “It seemed like a mighty challenge, as paper is a cheap commodity and therefore no one takes it seriously. The number of trees being felled, so that we may print tons of paper every day, is appalling and frightening for our Planet Earth. Planting, nurturing, and cutting down of trees is an expensive process and therefore alternative ways of paper making is purely more desirable.”
A new page
She launched her venture, Bluecat Paper, in early 2018, where not a single tree is cut to make paper. Instead, paper is made from waste that ends up in a landfill or is burnt down by farmers. This paper making technique also saves water and does not add chemicals thereby reducing its carbon footprint on the Planet. “The paper easily decomposes, enabling a better sustainable product,” she adds.
Bluecat Paper offers paper made from banana fibre, coffee husks, mulberry, cotton rags, hemp, rice stubble, coconut, seeds, elephant poo, flax, lemon grass, linen and corn husks.
Saving water while making tree-free paper is very important at Bluecat Paper. Introducing a water treatment plant to make sure water was not wasted but recycled enables this paper to reach its highest goal in being sustainable. “Save trees, Save water. Reduce waste.” The motto of Bluecat Paper is a continuous fight for the cause of tree-free paper. Though, following this motto was a challenge in itself. Setting up the unit with rudimentary machines and convincing the team that it was necessary to begin this initiative was an arduous task.
Kavya continues, “Expensive trial and error on the part of engineers to set up machines (all made in India) to convert textile waste into paper was an uphill task. The non-willingness of big corporations to switch to tree-free paper owing to the costs being higher than regular paper was another big challenge. Therefore, began the relentless pursuit of making this paper cheaper. More machines to convert the waste into paper were introduced.”
From field to the world
Moreover, extensive experimenting with over 18 varieties of cellulose rich agri-waste such as flax, lemongrass, mulberry, rice stubble, coffee husk, banana stumps, coconut husk, and even elephant poo were conducted! Meeting farmers and workshops educating them to sort aside the residual waste was conducted.
Armed with a shoestring budget, Bluecat Paper monetised farmers so they would send across the waste to the Bluecat Paper unit located in Bengaluru and not burn it like they usually did. The success of teaching local labour to make paper and explain concepts like GSM were rewarding.
Very soon the Bluecat Paper team had its own team of skilled paper makers who were churning out chemical free paper on their own. At present, the brand has its varied product line including packaging solutions, visiting cards, invitations, art and craft paper, stationery products, notebooks, journals, paper bags, gift wraps, home decor, sketchbooks, calendars, envelopes, greeting cards, storage accessories, and so on. The plant is ISO certified and also has a Pollution Control Certificate.
It is a matter of pride, says Kavya. “We proudly export tree-free paper to over 30 countries worldwide and have helped our customers save trees across the globe! Countries include Australia, Dubai, Oman, Israel, Romania, Croatia, Italy, Norway, UK, Brazil, Chile, USA, Canada etc,” she informs.
The future roadmap for the brand is to make tree-free paper mainstream. “The goal is to set up channels where cellulose-rich waste can be segregated and collected from textile industries and farmers. The introduction of new machines and processes to make the paper more eco-friendly and cheaper is sure to make an impact that was the basis of establishing Bluecat Paper. Efforts will be undertaken in training new staff to make quality products that will make each product unique and ensure customer satisfaction,” sums up Kavya.
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