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Can you guess the number of trees required to produce all the paper in the world? The figure, no doubt, would be mind-boggling. Worldwide, the production of paper is over 300 million tons per year, and 90 per cent of it is wood pulp and mill-made. The wood pulp- and paper-producing industry is also responsible for disastrous environmental changes, some of which are the depletion of non-renewable resources and greenhouse gases. To make amends, it developed an alternative for paper without cutting trees—the most eco-friendly handmade paper in the world, made of cotton rag waste and plant fibres. This alternative consumes minimum electricity, water, and chemicals, and reduces environmental pollution.

The desire to adopt this eco-friendly approach to the manufacture of paper gave birth to Studio Mars Pvt Ltd. The directors, Mr Mangesh Lohpatre and Ms Shobhana Hadap, believe in preserving the environment and safely handing it over to the next generation. To this end, in 2019, they undertook this commendable mission to give back to society and the environment. They consider this their social responsibility and are managing this institute only with the agenda of sustainability and not for earning extra bucks. They have a partnership with the Maharashtra government-run Maharashtra State Khadi & Village Industries Board (MSKVIB). 

The challenge they are still facing is to create awareness among the people about handmade paper. It is really hard to motivate people to opt for eco-friendly paper compared to wood-based mill-made paper. People still prefer the latter just because it is cheaper. The constantly changing costs of labour and raw material make the manufacturing process difficult to manage. To add to the existing bias against handmade paper, the constant change in the sale price creates a negative impact. They have requested the government to take the first step towards overcoming this bias by opting for handmade paper in their offices for official letters and other stationery needs. 

Mangesh and Shobhana hope that people will join them in this move towards a sustainable future and understand the importance of cotton rag handmade paper. This could take some time, but they certainly do not wish to give up on their mission to save the planet.