A 10-member team of Kudumbashree officials from the district visited Panipat and Delhi last week in order to study the methods of manufacturing new products from old clothes. The Kudumbashree District Mission is preparing to launch an ambitious project by collecting and treating old clothes.
“We could find that a large number of eco-friendly products can be made from old clothes. Our visit was a fruitful one,” said Kudumbashree District Mission coordinator Jafar Kakkoth.
The team led by Mr. Kakkoth visited several plants in Panipat and Delhi. Among the units they visited were Kakkar Spinning Mills and G.K. Enterprises in Panipat. They also got the help of a voluntary organisation named Goonj in Delhi.
Mr. Kakkoth said that the new project would have different segments. “One will focus on reusing old clothes when the other will attempt to treat the old clothes and manufacture a wide variety of new items,” he said.
The team studied different phases such as collection of old clothes, their segregation, production of new items, machinery, manpower, distribution, and sale.
“Old clothes can be used for local handicrafts,” said Mr. Kakkoth. “We are planning to put up collection boxes in Kudumbashree CDS offices and palliative centres.”
The team found that old clothes could be converted to threads after treating, and products like cloth mats, door mats, sofa covers, curtains and banyans could be made with fine quality threads.
“Products like cloth bags, files, coir and key chains can be made even without treating old clothes,” he said. “The project will not only bring in revenue for the women, but also help reduce waste.”
