Can coconut water be used to make an alternative product for leather that will even find takers in the global market?
Kottayam native Susmith and Zuzana from Slovakia have proved that this baffling concept can be made into reality by launching their initiative called ‘Malai’.
"This eco-friendly product is made by fermenting coconut water with bacterial culture. After 12-14 days, cellulose is formed which is then enriched with natural fibres to create a product that can challenge leather in several for its functions. The end product can be formed into flat sheets or moulded into any shape. Natural colours can also be added to the final material.
“We have named our product Malai, and it is taken to global fashion markets and even national brands. They use this as an alternative to leather, and make bags and wallets out of it," the duo explain from their low-budget Malai manufacturing unit at Muhamma in Alappuzha.
Malai has takers even in the European fashion world.
How it began
A Btech graduate, Susmith was working in Mumbai after completing higher studies on product designing. There he got introduced to Zuzana who was working in another project in the same firm.
Both of them, who share a liking for eco-friendly products, stumbled upon Malai after conducting several studies and research.
Countries such as Philippines and Malaysia have been exporting coconut water and value-added products made out of it for long. However, the situation in Kerala is different. Apart from some individual efforts, most of the coconut water in this land gets wasted.
There are rare initiatives like Nata de coco (coconut gel dessert), which is made by fermenting coconut water.
Though Nata de coco has a prime position on hotel menus in foreign countries, it does not command of a similar adoration in the native land.
It is from the same Nata de coco that Susmith and Zuzana separate the cellulose for Malai.
Nata de coco is expensive as only 20gm of cellulose can be obtained from 1kg.
Therefore, the manufacturing cost is also high. It would only benefit the entrepreneur if the expensive product is taken to a market that gives value and pays for the cost of making. The multi-crore industry of fashion is one of the most suitable markets for Malai.
There are several material libraries in Europe, akin to our book libraries. These material libraries have collections of several materials that could be used for preparing products for any vertical. Designers of the ever-changing fashion world too frequent these libraries to know of the new manufacturing possibilities. Malai, which has already found a spot for itself in prominent material libraries and exhibitions, has already won the acceptance of several designers.
In the fashion world, Malai offers more opportunities than leather. Unlike leather, Malai has the same texture on both sides. Malai first gets manufactured in a pulp form. Therefore, apart from sheets, these can be moulded into any design, another feature that the leather lacks.
Malai is not harmful to nature
Though leather products are hugely popular, they have an anti-environment side to them as well. Most people do not think of the 'animal sacrifice' that goes into the making of leather. Campaigns against the killing of birds and animals for leather seldom gain wide attention. The animal skin goes through several chemical processes before the final product hits the market. The leather products that are dumped after use is hazardous to the earth. And it will take ages to decay. Even products such as rexine that are being marketed as an alternative to leather too cause damage to the nature.
The significance of eco-friendly Malai made using coconut water and natural fibres increases in such a circumstance. Malai products decay and become part of the soil in 90-120 days.
Vegan for Malai
The concept of vegan is fast gaining popularity in Europe. The vegan is particular not just in the food he/she eats but also in the products that he/she uses. The vegan who opts for vegetables instead of meat and fish, are slowly picking up Malai instead of leather. Susmith and Zuzana hope that Malai capture more hearts of vegan community.
Phone: 9496321547 Website: www.made-from-malai.com.
