Paper production

In 2010 with our support one of our main producers started a plantation of lokta in two villages. Mainly to really work on a sustainable base which we can be sure of but as well to give something in return to the country. The first plants were bought in a nursery in Kathmandu and then transported „the Nepalese way“ to the villages about 120km from Kathmandu.

 

The plants were packed in traditional „baskets“ which are used for many purposes in Nepal still. Our common plan is to open our own nursery for future plantations.

 

Once the lokta plants are ready to harvest, the branches will be decorticated and the bark is being watered and then beaten until they can take out the bast. In the next step the bast is shredded to fine fibers and water is added to create a nice „not too stiff, not to fluid“ pulp.

 

A frame is placed into a water basin and a certain amount of lokta pulp is added and spread on the frame. The amount of pulp determines the thickness and weight of the sheet, the length of the fibers determine the quality and the texture of the sheet. After it is evenly spread, the frame is pulled from the basin and the water flows back into the basin. Once the water has dripped off, the frame will stand upright in the sun until the sheet is dry.

 

Recycling paper sheets are not dried standing upright in the frames, but they are placed between sheets of cotton and then the water is pressed out as much as possible and the sheets are hung on lines or put on racks for drying. Generally the sheets are produced in the villages in the hilly regions of the Himalaya and from there the sheets arrive in the warehouses of our producers. Here they will be sorted and controlled, flattened and calendered. The calendering process is essential for the fineness and the smoothness of the sheets. They are put on metal sheets and will then „roll“ through a calendering press.

 

After all this, the sheets are used for the production: they will be dyed, or in a further step be printed with silk screen, batik technique… The silk screen process in Nepal is still „all handmade“, without machines. The screens are prepared and the sheets are being printed the „old fashioned way“ – without vacuum or other „helping hands“. After printing the sheets will be dried in racks and as some colours cannot be exposed to the sunlight - these are dried inside the workplace. once printed or dyed or sewn, torn… the sheets are delivered to the production areas where the products are made and finally end up in the packing area where the goods are packed and prepared to be delivered to us in Germany...

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Pictures of the produktion in the beginning of the 80s, till today not very much has changed.

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