Arts
Venturing out with the three Rs
View(s):Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. These three words are becoming increasingly important in Sri Lanka, as businesses and enterprises slowly begin to focus more on products that are either sustainable, eco-friendly, biodegradable and cost-efficient, or a combination of all these.
From green packaging to bags made out of old sarees and old rice bags, here are a handful of ventures, among many that promote sustainability.
 Sustainablee Yours Sustainablee Yours is a passion project-turned-business by Dinushika Gunaratne. Dinushika’s products include: beeswax wraps, cloth food covers, reusable cutlery and straws, upcycled, reusable grocery bags made from old sarees and stationery made from discarded food packaging, polythene and fabric waste (including refillable notebooks, with reusable covers). She also has a personal care range with natural alternatives such as a natural deodorant, 100% essential oils, bamboo toothbrushes, natural fibre scrubbers and other products made out of biodegradable material. Sustainablee Yours has a stall at the Saturday Good Market on Reid Avenue since 2019, and since then the brand has expanded to more than 15 retail outlets. “We are currently in retail through our local partners – Barefoot, Ma’s Kitchen online, TribeSL, Prana Lounge and the Design Collective Store. We are also available internationally in Australia, Switzerland, USA and Hong Kong through our international partners,” Dinushika told the Sunday Times Magazine. Delivery and pick up options are available and orders can be placed through Instagram (sustainableeyours) and WhatsApp (077 384 0515).
The I Am Upcycled project was begun by Green Life Generation Founder and CEO Savandie Abeyratna. She is currently in the final stages of her PhD in Social Work and Policy from Liverpool Hope University. “We have a range of upcycled, ethical and green gift and packing options. We have two main ranges: our “Good Vibes” collection of uplifting hanging wooden word blocks and our upcycled paper and cardboard range. We also have a growing range of giftbags, gift boxes and wrapping, party decorations and stationery,” Savandie told the Sunday Times Magazine. “Our products are handmade using what we call “Green Technology”– technologies that strive to reduce the carbon footprint. The products are also produced ethically using a cooperative, redistributive and circular economic model, placing people before profit. This makes our products not only green but also clean and fair,” she said. The main materials used by Savandie’s brand are wood offcuts they receive from a carpenter family they work with, discarded cardboard (corrugated and hardboard), cement bags, other office stationery waste and paper waste from the local community waste collection network in Kandy. I Am Upcycled and Green Life Generation’s store, the Green Life Boutique, is located at Kengalla in Kandy. Their online store can be accessed via www.greenlifegeneration.org. Customers can also place orders through their Facebook page (I Am Upcycled) or Instagram page (i_am_upcycled). They work with local postal and delivery services to organise delivery islandwide and overseas.
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Islandoor is run by freelance designer Madhushani Rathnasiri. Her career began at the Brandix College of Clothing Technology & Management eight years ago and she received her bachelor’s degree in 2014 in India. “Our brand focus is on women’s clothing and accessories crafted from dead-stock fabrics. We refine them, add design value, and take them through a development cycle to convert them into the valuable products,” Madhushani told the Sunday Times Magazine. “A 100% of our fabric and trims usage is of dead-stock fabrics, a by-product of the Sri Lankan apparel industry. Most of our fabrics are natural – like cotton and linen – which are not only ethical but suitable for a tropical country,” she said. Inspired by her father to begin her business, Madhushani launched Islandoor in 2018. It was her father’s desire that she develop her own clothing line. She took sustainable fashion as a subject for her degree and has not looked back since. “We retail our upcycled products at the Tribe store at One Galle Face in Colombo and the Tribe online store at the moment. We sell products through our social media platforms,” Madhushani said. Check out Islandoor’s Facebook (Islandoor) and Instagram (islandoor_by_mr) pages for more. Orders can be made through both pages, and they deliver islandwide. |
Rice & Carry is a social enterprise that was founded in 2012 by Susanne Berg and Hendrik Konzok from Europe. Since last year they have been a guaranteed member of the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). They manufacture and sell bags and accessories made of recycled materials such as polythene rice bags, spice sacks and used sarees. “We collect the materials from small shops, and the sarees are brought to our workshop in Komari by residents of the surrounding villages. For some products we combine waste materials with handloom fabrics made in-house by our employees,” Susanne said. Rice & Carry has a store in Arugam Bay frequented by tourists and they also have retail partners islandwide such as Barefoot, PR store, Embark and Selyn. They deliver islandwide through courier services. “This year our focus was more on the European market and on exporting our products due to COVID-19 which put tourism completely on hold. Customers in Europe can buy our products through our website www.riceandcarry.eu. Our Sri Lankan customers can send us an email at info@riceandcarry.com or contact us through social media,” Susanne added.
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I Am Upcycled
Islandoor
Rice & Carry