Fairtrade Lokta Handmade Paper

Naturally Simple Ltd is now stocking some wonderful giftwrap which is handmade and also sourced via Fair trade from Nepal. Have a look at our great range at http://www.naturallysimple.co.uk/

Paper making in Nepal dates back to the 11th century and is one of the oldest traditional household industries. Paper making developed in the Orient in about the 6th century and scholars surmise that the technology arrived in Nepal via tradesmen who travelled the trade routes from China to India. Lokta paper has long been renowned for its durability and natural resistance to insects. This paper is renowned for its exceptional durability and for its lively and special texture.

Nepalese handmade paper is made from the bark of the Daphne Cannabina or Papyracea bush and is known locally as Lokta. It is an evergreen shrub that grows in the forests, under the shade of the larger plants, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It grows up to 13 feet (4m) high and has long leathery leaves much like a bay leaf (to which family it belongs), with clusters of fragrant white to pink flowers and small dark rust coloured berries and when harvested will totally regenerate within six to eight years. Many communities in the mountains earn a living from harvesting the bark of the Lokta bush and the fragile forest ecology is preserved. The paper is handmade in the mountains of Nepal from the inner bark of this bush. Popular as the most exquisite and versatile papers on the planet, Lokta handmade paper has four deckled edges and is a very strong fibre.

To begin with, it is necessary to separate the raffia (or rough fibres). For the farmers of the Himalayas, this phase consists of cooking the dry bark in a solution of ash in order to soften it. After the foreign matter is removed The Lokta bark is then cleaned with clear water, chopped finely, and again plunged into the water. The matter obtained from this process is brought to the boil, rinsed again, and then crushed on fist-sized smooth river stones in order to produce a fine white paste. It takes about 4-5 hours to achieve the right consistency. The next step is to take a frame that is made of thin white cotton stretched on a bamboo frame approximately 20" x 30". The frame is placed in a vat of still water and the paste mixture is poured in it carefully in order to spread it evenly. The frame with the paste is then slowly lifted from the water. The paper paste is set in the sun to dry on the frame. Once dry, the paper is peeled off the frame. It is then used as is with a rough texture, or may be polished with a conch shell or a smooth stone which makes a firmer surface for writing. Every sheet of paper is handmade individually on a muslin screen, making each one unique & giving a natural, uncut edge to the paper. After drying in the sunshine the paper is dyed using a variety of vegetable & chemical dyes.

What makes this handmade paper so eco-friendly?

• Lokta paper is handmade and sun dried, so there are no machines putting C02 or other emission into our air.


• It is made from a bush that grows quickly and needs to be pruned to the ground every 3- 4 years to grow stronger. Without this pruned it will wither and die. The root base grown during this period of regeneration keeps the soil more stable and helps protect rural Nepalese villages from mudslides during the monsoon season.


• The bush grows in the shade, so bushes grown for commercial purposes don’t require that the forests are cut down to farm them. It can be grown in tiers so that the plants will be ready to prune in different years.


• It is grown without chemicals and requires no bleaches or other chemical processing.


• While only the skin of the Lokta bush is needed to produce the paper. The artisans dry the remaining stalk of the bush in the sun so that they can use it for fuel to cook with. Therefore the entire plant is used and there is no waste.


• The paper is colored with either azo free dyes or organic dyes such as indigo, tree barks, flower etc.
  
• The strength of the paper makes it easy to reuse and the beauty of it makes you want to.

Using Lokta paper is not only good for the environment, but it helps the rural people of the Nepalese of the Himalayan mountain region. Not only does the root growth help protect their villages, but paper making is their only source of income.