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Finding a use for used paper
Paper paradise: A range of paper products are on sale at the Jiro Production showroom in Yogyakarta
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Paper paradise: A range of paper products are on sale at the Jiro Production showroom in Yogyakarta. JP/Slamet Susanto
For many people old papers and magazines have little value - indeed, are nothing but garbage. But as one small Yogyakarta-based enterprise is showing, waste paper can be turned into a variety of environmentally friendly, artistic, functional handicrafts.
The artisans at Jiro Production, established in 2003 by Iswandari Ratna Setyawati and her friend Yani, turn used paper into all kinds of items, including baskets, coasters, tissue boxes, photo frames and mirror frames.
"We are *allergic' to wood and use metals and chemicals as little as possible. If we use wood, we might be promoting illegal logging because we don't know where the wood comes from. It might be obtained illegally," said Ratna, affectionately called Nana, who is in charge of design and marketing.
Nana, an architect graduate from Gadjah Mada University, used to work in a construction company. As an architect, she made designs for buildings and calculated the amount of wood needed for a project, regardless the source. Not knowing whether the wood came from illegal loggers made her uncomfortable, as did the floods caused by deforestation.
She found herself in conflict because her job required her not to care much about the matter, although she personally had great concerns over environmental issues.
In 2002, Nana, who had been recycling her old paper since 1997, tried her hand at turning her old paper into handicrafts.
"I kept making handicrafts and gave the products to my friends. They loved them," she said.
The next year, she took part in an export exhibition in Jakarta, which became the starting point for her business, with many buyers placing orders.
She later established her own company with her friend, Yani, who is in charge of the production, and resigned from her architect position.
To make handicrafts from the used paper, the first thing to do is to cut the paper as needed. The artisans then roll the paper into small, long and strong tubes ready to be attached to the pre-prepared frames. The frames, which come in various sizes and models, are made from used cardboard.
Despite the lack of wood or metal, the paper products are surprisingly strong - even sitting on a basket will not break it.
The handicrafts are colorful and distinctive, especially as the recycled paper originally had writing printed on it. To make them more attractive, green leaves, from a plant called daun kupu-kupu (Bauhinia tomentosa) and the mahoni (Swietenia macrophylla) tree, are glued on the outside. Nana and the women of Bantul regency are also active in the forestation movement, planting trees - whose leaves she then uses - in unused land.
"Even though they are only leaves, they last long. This tissue box, for example," Nana said, holding one up, "I made it three years ago and the leaves are still intact."
The crafts are made by hand by about 40 women. And they certainly have no problems sourcing materials, because everyday Yogyakarta produces dozens or even hundreds of tons of used papers and magazines.
Price start from Rp 1,000 (less than 10 US cents) for a coaster. Candleholders and tissue boxes cost between Rp 20,000 and Rp 40,000 each, while the baskets carry a price tag of between Rp 15,000 and Rp 150,000.
The handicrafts are available directly from the Jiro Production showroom in Lempuyangan, Yogyakarta, or from souvenir shops in the city, in Bali or even abroad.
Before the crisis, Jiro Production exported 80 percent of its handicrafts, mostly to Europe and the United States, with monthly turnover of Rp 80 million.
Today, they are feeling the pinch. Only 25 percent of their products are exported, and in the past four months, the monthly turnover dropped to Rp 25 million to Rp 30 million.
The designs of their handicrafts are updated from time to time to meet the market demand. To survive the global crisis, Jiro Production is exploring new ideas while maintaining its environmentally friendly principles and focusing on the use of waste.
Among their new products are curtains made from palm leaves. They also receive orders to make souvenirs for wedding parties and other special occasions.
"This can be labor intensive. We develop partnership with people and have more than 40 partners. If we have a lot of orders, more than 100 people are involved," Nana said.
