Furnishing Homes The Sustainable Way

July 6, 2017

Human creativity is unlimited. It is the capacity of humans to make things happen which didn’t happen before. Creativity provides the key to solving our social and economic problems. – Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and founder, Grameen Bank

It is with this mantra that Calyz Textiles, a city-based home furnishing company and now a studio store, started to run a social enterprise that is profitable as well as environmentally sustainable. Making the shift from chemicals to natural products that can be used is quite challenging but it can be easily done with the right amount of awareness and knowledge.

At Calyz, one can find window blinds, cushions, quilts, mats and rugs that have been handcrafted from recycled material. Alternatively, if you are looking for a more luxurious rug, which is still handcrafted, then you can find them at Https://bazaarvelvet.com/. If you don’t have the time or materials to handmake your own blinds and you are in need of new ones, then you can click to see plantation blinds.

A graduate of National Institute of Design, Vineeta Jadhavrao started this venture in 2000 and later moved on to customising products that are exported. Along with the use of sustainable material, Jadhavrao has also worked on a model to train more than 300 underprivileged women from villages around Pune to work on the textiles. “I work with mostly self-help groups in around 12 villages like Shirwal, Koregaon, villages in Talegaon and Majalgaon in Beed district. The women are trained on a project basis. They work in a safe and clean space which is organised and earn. This is an alternative to toiling on the field for several hours. I had to go door-to-door to speak to each one of them and their husbands to let them come to work. These women are now so proud to see their designs on international platforms.”

Banana fibre blinds and cushions in a mosaic design.

The handcrafted products are made from recycled material like banana fibre, cotton, silk, linen and muslin. They are naturally processed without any chemicals before they are handwoven. Each process is heavily documented and monitored before it is exported as it must meet international sustainability standards. “All the people working in this enterprise understand the process and the product very well. We work on quality because it feels good to give a good product. From sourcing the fabric to the production, it is all done in a sustainable manner.

The banana fibre for instance post-harvest of the banana plantation; the banana bark is sliced and extracted. We use it to make our window blinds. It has a very high content of oil so there is no chance of it catching fungus. It lasts for ten years and there is no recurring cost,” explains Jadhavrao. If you’re looking for something more when it comes to blinds, there are blinds that are motorised by SmartBlinds, which may be of interest to you. Whatever type of blinds you choose, be sure to do your research beforehand.

To add to this, banana fibre is used extensively in the textile industry as it is an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fibres.

Exporting to various countries like UK, USA, Canada and Kuwait, Jadhavrao also travels regularly to New York to display the textiles at NY Now, a product and design tradeshow. Her awareness of sustainable products grew as she saw the innovations being displayed there. “There is a whole different section for sustainable products. There are bags made from pop-tops of cans which look beautiful. It is all about how these materials are sourced and put together. You can be imaginative and creative but to put that in process and multiply that it is innovation.”