Banana Fiber products
What exactly is banana fiber?
Banana fiber is yet another eco-friendly raw material like jute and other fibers. It is extracted from the pseudostem of the banana plant and is removed with the help of a knife.
The banana plant commonly grows in tropical regions and thrives in an area with well-received rainfall. The soil is required to be loose and rich in humus. It requires a moderate amount of minerals as well.
Every part of the banana plant is made from fibers of various strengths, colors, and textures. There are almost 14 to 18 sheaths of fiber out of which the outer 4-6 sheaths are coarse, 6-8 sheaths have shiny and soft fibers and the innermost sheaths are the softest.
Origin and History of Banana Fiber
Banana thrives in tropical regions. The plant has gained significant importance for its versatile uses as food, fruit, and eco-friendly products.
There are also wide historic references to bananas. They have been mentioned in ancient texts of India, China, and Rome. It is also believed that the oldest Sanskrit writings about bananas dated back to 500 BC.
Characteristics of Banana fiber
- Banana fiber is quite similar to bamboo and ramie fiber in terms of appearance
- It is a very strong fiber, made of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose.
- It is very lightweight and lustrous and has fast moisture absorption and releasing capacity.
- When discarded, it has no negative impact on nature and is 100% biodegradable.
The versatility of banana fibers
Banana fiber products: From plan to process
Banana fiber is extracted from the banana tree bark. The stem is cut down and split from the center. The Brown-green skin of the plant is peeled and discarded, while the cleaner and white portion are processed into knotted fibers. These fibers are extracted manually and the peel is clamped between wood plank and knife. The peel or the sheet is hand-pulled to remove resinous material.
The fiber sheet extracted is then sundried. Once the fiber sheets are sun-dried, they can be stored in low humidity storage for almost 2 years. The dried fiber sheets are soaked in water before use to make it moist. The fiber sheet is mounted and clamped on a stick to segregate the fiber in different sizes and is grouped accordingly. The fibers are separated and knotted to make a long continuous strand. It is then used to make a variety of products.
The areca items are protected and keep up the flavor because of scentless and test less areca palm pecking order. So there is no compelling reason to utilize any synthetic while making this item, and it is excessively sound for everybody. Also, these items are accessible in different online entrances. In any case, we are giving similar items at a sensible cost, and assuming you are going with a more mass amount, we are giving a markdown just according to the sum.
Areca is an occasional yield and is collected after the stormy season, emerging the requirement for capacity of these sheaths. Producers subsequently need immense extra rooms where these sheaths can be kept cautiously and need to guarantee that no dampness gets in contact with these sheaths, else parasite begins developing on them.
Why Banana fiber products
Reality we love about making sacks with banana fiber is that practically all pieces of the plant are being utilized. Nothing goes to squander! You can eat the product obviously, yet the blossom, strip and stem are likewise consumable. In South India the lovely long leaves of the banana plant are utilized to serve food on during exceptional festivals like weddings. Banana plants develop effectively, don’t need extra water and there thusly a maintainable choice contrasted with different materials like cotton. The strands are totally biodegradable, yet excessively safe and solid
Making banana fiber
The filaments from the external skin of the stem are dried and afterward, hand-rolled into a rope that can be utilized as a character string for handiwork. The principal part of our banana fiber woven sling sack, banana fiber is woven grasp, banana fiber is woven handbag, and banana fiber cardholder is woven by hand with this common string. Our woven handbag utilizes 100 meters of hand-turned rope and assumes control of more than 3 entire long stretches of hand sewing to finish. No machines are utilized during this cycle.
Slowing Down Fast Fashion
The craftsmen have made a shift from traditional to contemporary designs and are now exploring and collaborating to sustain and grow this Channapatna handicraft. The local government is now taking initiatives to train the local crafts to compete and stand in the modern competitive market and keep up with growing preferences. New schemes have been introduced in which today’s craftsman can come up with innovative designs but with the traditional roots of the art. The toymakers are now trained to keep this ancient craft trendy to generate its demand and significance.
Today, the major part of the Channapatna toy industry’s financial revenue comes from exports besides patronage from the Indian government.
Banana fiber products by Indisutras
Because the local artisan is not trained traditionally for this process, over few years we have trained and outsourced the job to tribal women in Karnataka, who gather and process the banana fiber sheets.
The processed banana fiber sheets are then used to create products by a center that supports the locals and villages around Karnataka, living with conditions like visual or hearing impairment and autism, who create sustainable banana fiber products.
The reason why we choose to make sustainable products is based on the ideology that products ideally should be eco-friendly. Not just the product, but also the working atmosphere and the procedure should not harm the environment.
The tribal women and the NGO are supported with sustainable income and livelihood. It takes a lot of hard work to train them. We are glad that even with minimal education, these women are running the business operations smoothly. We try our best to foster their skills and grow with training programs and workshops. The commitment of every person is much bigger than their salaries.
The local community has extended extensive support to our initiative and helped us to sustain this project for over many years. We have dedicated quality assurance systems. There are no chemicals or additives that are used for the manufacturing process.
