Discovering sustainable handicrafts with Scrap Shala

One of the most engaging sessions we had during our Varanasi retreat was a potpourri making workshop with Shikha from Scrap Shala. Scrap Shala upcycles waste material into sustainable handicrafts. It is a wonderful way to use art and creativity to leave the world a little greener and cleaner.

In our workshop we learnt how to make fragrant blends of colourful potpourri mixes purely out of dried and pressed temple flowers, essential oils and simple natural ingredients found around our homes.

We also had a chance to speak with Shikha and learn about her impressive journey building Scrap Shala, a haven for sustainable handicrafts.

Here’s what we spoke about.

1. What inspired Scrap Shala to begin this journey of creativity through sustainable methods?

My mother’s Madhu Shah creative genes and childhood conditioning to creativity and mindfulness.

Also, later on during my journey at IIT Madras, I got exposed to multiple aspects of sustainable practices and communities in India and potential market for developing sustainable alternatives for Indian market.

I decided to use concept of upcycling seeing the massive quantity of pre-existing material that can be diverted from landfills into innovative product lines.

2. What kinds of waste materials do you repurpose to create your products and how do you source them?

Presently, we upcycled 10 categories of waste material into useful consumer products.

Tyres, Wood, Glass, Textile, E-waste, Automobile waste, Plastic wrappers, Flower waste, coconut shells and coir to be precise.

From all these pre-existing materials, we make new experimental products for home décor, lifestyle, gifting and festival alternatives.

Dying Indian handicraft skills and artforms are taken as inspiration while designing products.

3. What challenges do you face when working with scrap and waste materials, and how do you handle them?

The negative connotation attached with word scrap brings limitation at every level from artisans, designers to consumers.

In last 6 years, we have really worked hard and brought all our stakeholders on same page by believing in impactful-ness of creating new from pre-existing.

Whenever we onboard a new artisan, it becomes a challenge to explain them why they need to work harder on waste material when the same work can be done on new material much faster.

At consumer end, convincing the price points of the upcycled products and make it aspirational becomes a challenge.

If I talk about myself as a founder, the resistance that I faced initially from family for working on scrap was quite harsh.

With market validation and business opportunity, lot of old challenges have become easier to deal with.

4.  How do you engage with and educate your customers about the eco-friendly aspects of your products?

Initially we did multiple educative workshops in schools, corporates and at our office to make people understand the power and need of upcycling.

Now that there are lot of government led initiative like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the awareness towards cleanliness and environment has risen among Indian masses.

We still use lot of educative content in our packaging and online campaigns to educate people about the product and services we provide.

Education and sustainability will go hand in hand for next 5 years till all of us each on same page about importance of clean environment and climate change that is harming us.

5. How do you see the market for sustainable and eco-friendly products evolving in the coming years?

It is developing fast in India, as younger educated generation has become very mindful of what they consume and discard. And everyone wants cleaner environment to live in. To grow among the Indian masses, it will still take time as meeting the basic necessities of live is their first priority and environment is probably the last.

International market in developed countries such as USA, Europe and Australia is thriving and ready for sustainable goods.

6. What message would you like the wider community to remember about the importance of repurposing waste materials in today’s world?

Repurposing is doable, pocket-friendly and unique. It helps in saving over consumption of new resources and saves generation of new trash while discarding.

Repurposing also generates employment when done professionally.

Lastly, nature is the only asset we all truly have. If after covid pandemic and visible climate change, we don’t make lifestyle changes, it is lost battle then. Nature doesn’t need us; it will always survive.

Along with learning how to make our very own blend of potpurri, we learnt about the efforts that go into creating such exquisite sustainable handicrafts and about how we in our daily lives can make sustainable choices just by being a little more conscious of our actions.