This project was initiated in 2015 by a young volunteer from London, Ms. Adit Goschalk. She interned with the organization and introduced the idea of paper recycling. After three years of research and development and the establishment of a small paper recycling unit in Kalwa, we were able to commence operations. Our teams collected waste paper from various offices in Mumbai and transformed this office waste into products such as art paper, coasters, envelopes, notepads, and table mats. However, we struggled to generate significant revenue from the sale of these products. As a result, operations in Kalwa were paused until the organization decided to relocate to NAYA.
In 2022, the NAYA operations were relocated to Mokhada in Palghar District, but due to COVID-19, which temporarily halted our activities. However, in 2023, the organization decided to pivot towards the production of paper bags. With the government strictly enforcing the ban on plastic bags, we recognized a valuable opportunity for NAYA. Initially, we started production with minimal machinery and crafted shopping bags by hand.
By early 2024, we opted to install a fully automatic V-bottom paper bag-making machine, which includes single-color printing capabilities. After addressing some initial challenges, NAYA is now operating at 75% capacity utilization, successfully fulfilling orders for paper bags of various sizes for local businesses in the surrounding area.
