Kaghaz kay Karnamay (Wajeeha Tariq) is a paper making studio located in Karachi that aims to enhance social inclusion and economic sustainability by utilizing locally sourced materials. Pakistan imports more than 70% of its paper pulp supply to meet the demands for pulp and paper. Kaghaz kay Karnamay was set up as a paper making facility to promote re-purposing of used paper, waste craft, fabric rags, agricultural residue and plant fibers to help with the development of Pakistan and its need for self-reliance in terms of paper and paper industry.
All goods are made with post-consumer material, meaning that no new fibers are used in the production process and are all bio-degradable. The most impressive achievement is their work on creating a new form of wood from paper clay and organic fibers which shall be ‘TREE FREE’. And not just this, they have also ventured into the making of ‘PLANTABLE PAPER’, known as seed paper, which is embedded with seeds that will grow into flowers once you have planted your used product. Kaghaz kay Karnamay’s hand paper making initiative not only conserves environmental resources but also helps in providing employment to people and carry forward the centuries old art of paper making.
While a number of enterprises have sprung up in recent years around recycling paper and other materials, the issue for many recyclers remains that the cost of post-consumer products cannot compete with regular paper products – apart from in niche specialty items outlets. Kaghaz kay Karnamay aims to produce consumer materials that are affordable enough to replace paper products used today – particularly printer paper – by achieving economies of scale through the acquisition of industrial scale paper printing equipment, and diversifying from handmade products to machine made ones.