Banana-skin stationery is set to bring jobs and sustainability to Indian communities as part of a range by Wiltshire-based national procurement and fulfillment company The Consortium.

The Tru-Green banana-skin envelopes - around 160,000 of which arrived at its 100,000 sq ft warehouse in Trowbridge recently - have set new standards for sustainability, according to the firm.

The manufacture of the product, which is made from natural crop fibres locally available in India including banana jute, waste cotton rags and rain water, provides income and employment to around 50 people near the fast-growing city of Pune, 150 km south-east of Mumbai.

The envelopes were developed with UK-based inventor Prakash Korde of biodegradable packaging specialist Valueform.

The Consortium is launching the product into the UK market and has exclusive distribution rights for the UK and Europe.

Mark Herrington, supply chain development manager at The Consortium, said: “The production process is really quite primitive - it begins with cotton rags being finely shredded, mixed with rain water and then made into a fine pulp, in a vat. When it reaches the right consistency the pulp is poured into a mesh to form the sheet, it is then transferred into a giant hydraulic press that squeezes out the excess water which is reused in the pulp, and the sheets are then hung out to dry naturally for two weeks.

“The dried sheets are then passed through metal rollers under high pressure for calendaring and the paper is finally cut to size before being taken to the nearby community centre, where groups of local women start the pasting and sandwiching process to create the finished envelope.”

Herrington added that a trip to India to see the manufacturing process has reaffirmed his belief in the product. “We are talking about a sustainable product which is 98 per cent recyclable after use, does not require the use of any chemicals, and only a small amount of electricity is used in the whole process,” he said.

“The Consortium ensures that the people we met are earning a reasonable wage in properly regulated conditions when so many others in their community are reduced to begging in order to keep themselves and their families alive.”

Tru-Green envelopes are available in six sizes and two colours, green and white.

For further information visit www.tru-green.co.uk

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