As an ethical manufacturer, Purnaa is making major strides towards being a zero-waste sewing factory by sourcing sustainable materials, repurposing all fabric scraps and recycling through our partnership with Doko Recyclers.
Taking care of the environment has always been a core part of Purnaa's manufacturing priorities. So when we discovered Doko in 2016, we were thrilled about the opportunity to take control of our waste. Doko Recyclers (which means 'basket' in Nepali) is a local social enterprise tackling the enormous task of cleaning up Kathmandu. Dedicated to sorting out Kathmandu’s waste management system, Doko was born out of a desire to manage the tall garbage heaps and overflowing landfills of Kathmandu. Not only do they offer a service to collect recycling, but they also pay for the waste that they collect.
Each year, Doko releases impact reports, showing ways recycling with them impacts the environment around them. In 2019 alone, Purnaa has diverted 255 cubic feet of waste from landfills and saved almost 17,500 litres of water! While we are proud of our impact, we see there is much more room for growth around us.
Rated the 7th most polluted city in the world, it’s impossible to ignore the high levels of pollution and lack of proper waste management in Kathmandu. The Bagmati River which runs through the heart of Kathmandu, is one of the most polluted rivers in the world and the city’s pollution is a public health risk that affects the day to day lives of everyone at Purnaa.
At Purnaa we strive to be sustainable and eco-conscious in every part of our company. After looking into a number of different recycling solutions, we were delighted to hear about Doko. So one cold Kathmandu morning Shivani Saria, Doko’s Relationship Manager, came to Purnaa’s offices to conduct an awareness workshop on recycling and the environment.
Explaining how the waste management system here works and how huge local landfills are, you could see visibly shocked faces around the room. Confronted with the images and statistics of how Kathmandu’s waste affects the city’s health and communities, many staff looked deeply affected. Shivani’s excellent and impactful training concluded by showing our whole team how to correctly separate and recycle waste. The training has motivated the whole factory to do their part and separate recycling. Some employees even decided to start bringing their own from home!
At Purnaa none of our textile waste goes to landfills, we sell leftovers to local scrap collectors who use it as stuffing for mattresses and other home wear. We do, however, create a lot of plastic and paper waste. This is mainly from the packaging that fabric is wrapped in and pattern making paper. Since Shivani’s training, Doko has been collecting our recyclable waste twice a week, which has helped us significantly reduce the waste we send to landfill. Not only that, but Doko provides continuous impact reports through our online account, where we can track the waste we are producing.
Learning about Doko and its mission has had a huge impact on Purnaa. Not only are we more aware of our carbon footprint, but we can now take active steps to reduce it. Doko offers a domestic collection for free and offers services for businesses of any size. For any companies or individuals looking for a way to recycle their waste in Kathmandu, Doko is a great solution!
To explore manufacturing your product with Purnaa visit: www.purnaa.com
To find out more about recycling check out the following links: