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Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. !
Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust!
Project Proposal!
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Scaleable Water Treatment !
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Artisan Dyeing and Printing in Jaipur, India!
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November 2015!
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H61/A Meera Marg!
Bani Park, Jaipur!
302 016 INDIA!
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Contact !
Dr. Shari Keller, Founding Director!
tel: 001 919 969 2572!
[email protected]!
INTRODUCTION !
Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd.: Block Printing Initiative!
Mehera Shaw empowers the textile artisans of Jaipur, in North India, to earn sustainable
livelihoods by bridging the gap between their traditional craft—creating handblock prints on cotton
and silk—and the design demands of modern markets. We are reorienting the international textile
supply chain to value artisan products and human relationships as much or more than excessive
profits and changing fashion trends.!
!
The textile artisans of Jaipur have, for generations, carved intricate multi-layered patterns for
hand-blocked cotton and silk fabrics. Traditionally, they worked with vegetable dyes and lately,
with chemical dyes as well. Their skill is highly developed, but their incomes low and sporadic. !
!
Unskilled screen and machine printing have largely replaced block printing, driven by international
market demand for cheap labor and ignorance of the block printing process. Manufacturers and
consumers are not attuned to the nuanced beauty and quality of hand-blocked fabric or, if they
are, are willing to settle for the less expensive and less “troublesome” screen or machine prints. !
!
But there are costs and consequences—both human and environmental—to those “cheaper”
alternatives. The age-old skills of artisans producing hand-block fabrics has been devalued, their
incomes damaged and their lifestyles diminshed. Their heritage craft is in danger of fading away
despite its age-old history. The environmental costs can be seen in drainage streams the color of
that day’s chemical dye-lot and the unnaturally large vegetables grown in fields irrigated with that
untreated, polluted water.!
!
Mehera Shaw’s mission is to address the problem from both ends of the domestic and export
supply chains, by expanding awareness of the concept of “slow fashion.” That concept is an
appreciation of the artisanal process combined with an awareness that the production process
requires accommodation to challenges that aren’t part of mass market production.!
!
At the artisan level, we want to develop skills training programs, continue improving our own
facility and supporting improvements to the community’s infrastructure. We want to create a “Slow
Fashion Forum” for artisans, with workshops and discussions covering design, safe use of
chemical dyes, fair trade practices, and development of leadership and teamwork skills required
to gain access and succeed as part of the international supply chain. We will work from our blockprinting unit in Sanganer, and our garment manufacturing company in Jaipur. The non-profit
Mehara Shaw Foundation will be involved in these efforts. Equally important, our mission is to
educate and influence international designers and manufacturers on the value and heritage of
artisan products, despite their perceived difficulties and extra costs.!
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!
We will use a mentoring approach in regular workshops to teach and improve both hands-on skills
and leadership/business skills. For example, fabric cutters would learn from our pattern master
how to translate a design from concept into a pattern, and how to place pattern pieces to make
the most efficient use of fabric. Both parties would benefit, the cutters learning a higher-paid skill
and the fabric master practising leadership and business skills.!
!
We will improve Sanganer’s water infrastructure through use of our ETP (effluent treatment plant)
in our block-printing facility and workshop space. Mehera Shaw ill not add to Sanganer’s water
pollution problem. We continue to seek partnerships with wholesale clients willing to commit,
longterm, to improving the community’s water treatment abilities.!
!
We will establish a “Slow Fashion Forum” to bridge the gaps between artisans and designers,
East and West, artisan products and mass market, so that all parties are informed of the cultures,
challenges, needs, expectations and limitations, and perspective on the other side of a business
relationship. “Slow fashion” production does present challenges that affect buyers’ expectations
and production schedule. Understanding allows accommodation by both sides. In addition to onsite workshops in India, Mehera Shaw will create informative presentations for use in fashion
schools, fabric fabric workshops and other entities in Europe, Australia, the U.S. and Great Britain.
Reorienting the global supply chain will allow consumers to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of
artisan fabrics while strengthening the market, establishing long-terms relationships and providing
sustainable livelihoods for artisans. !
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The Foundation/ Mission!
Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust (MSFT) is a Devisthan Government of India registered non-profit
organization located in Jaipur, Rajasthan (founded 2012), whose mission is sustainable artisan
development. This includes projects which focus on livelihood creation and cradle-to-cradle
models which foster economic and environmental sustainability. MSFT works specifically with
textile artisans in the Jaipur region of India, using a mentoring approach to skills development,
market access and improved environmental standards and in order to establish community-based
livelihoods. !
MSFT encourages sustainability and a dignified life to artisans involved in the textile value chain
by assuring them of fair trade practices, ethical leadership, social values, mutual respect, trust,
financial security and a humanitarian approach. MSFT is involved in 4 main areas of artisan
support currently: block printing conservation, upcycled fashion accessories, water filtration, and
“bridging the gap” cross cultural education programs.!
Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust works in an integrated and fully transparent manner with Mehera
Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. (MSTPL). MSTPL is a fair trade garment production company (member of
Fair Trade Federation in the US), artisanal clothing brand and textile designer founded in 2007.
MSTPL uses artisan textiles, organic cottons and ecological methods of production and has
strong ties to the local block printing community. !
In April 2014, MSTPL installed a dyeing unit which specializes in solid color dyeing of organic
cotton using GOTS approved dyestuff. The dyeing unit is located in the industrial area of
Sanganeer, about 10 kilometers from Jaipur. The unit includes 5 roller dyeing machines (jiggers),
boiler for steam dyeing using well water and artisan, open air structures, bamboo drying racks and
encompasses an area of 3,000 square meters. It is an artisan unit built intentionally in this
manner to reflect the style of other units in the area and to be run ultimately as a resource/
showcase model for improved business efficiency and environmental standards for other units.
Our capacity is 50,000 meters solid dyed fabric per month. Water consumption at full capacity is
50,000 litres.!
Waste water treatment!
In the textile dyeing industry, waste water is a huge environmental concern. Improper disposal
can lead to ground water and crop contamination in the local area. Contamination causes health
problems, damages the environment and threatens the agricultural future of the area. Excess
water usage also causes water shortages in a desert, water deprived region. !
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Waste water proposal!
Mehera Shaw is completing installation of our ETP (effluent treatment plant) for treatment of
effluent from dyeing and printing in the textile industry in Sanganer, near Jaipur, India (completion
set for November 2015). We also aim to develop and incorporate a grassroots model which is
scaleable, will work for decentralized production in artisan level units and uses biological methods
for treatment. Termed a biological effluent treatment program (BETP), it will then be used as a
showcase model at Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. (MSTPL) dyeing unit for the purpose of water
filtration of toxic waste water from dyeing and printing.!
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The proposed BETP provides a sustainable solution for the community of artisan printers and
dyers which is scaleable and affordable and uses local knowledge to ensure that artisans
themselves can maintain the units.!
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Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust: Project Proposal!
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Scaleable Biological Water Treatment for Artisan Block Printing in Jaipur, India!
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I. PROJECT DESCRIPTION:!
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Statement of problem, purpose of the request!
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Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. in conjunction with Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust (MSFT), a
Devisthan Government of India registered non profit in Rajasthan, India, is requesting funding to
develop and install a scaleable, biological water filtration system for treatment of effluent from
dyeing and printing in the textile industry near Jaipur, India. Though we have an industrial size
ETP at our printing unit, we want to develop a scalable BETP which is scalable, of minimal cost
and is specifically for family-owned printing units.!
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The Jaipur area artisan dyeing and printing industry is the main source of contamination of local
water used for both agriculture and drinking. Toxic waste water from the textile industry is an
environmental hazard on both human and agricultural levels. There is no government
infrastructure for water treatment nor is there the basic financing for small-scale artisan units to
avail of a combined or community treatment plant.!
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Many types of water treatment plants have been proposed but none are context sensitive and
hence are not sustainable solutions to the problem. The standard effluent treatment plant (ETP)
is an industrial model waste water treatment system, scaled and priced for an industrial model
which is inherently not ideally suited to the Jaipur situation. !
!
Faced with this systemic problem and a growing printing and dyeing industry in the area,
continued lack of government support or infrastructure, MSFT sees this as an opportunity to
develop and implement a simple, scalable, affordable solution which can be adapted to a range of
artisan units. !
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Goals and objectives!
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MSFT aims to develop and incorporate a grassroots model which is scaleable, will work for
decentralized production in artisan level units and uses biological methods for treatment. Termed
a biological effluent treatment program (BETP), it will then be used as a showcase model at
Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. (MSTPL) dyeing unit for the purpose of water filtration of toxic
waste water from dyeing and printing. !
!
MSFT works in an integrated, transparent manner with MSTPL toward sustainable artisan
development. Both MSTPL and MSFT together are an integrated, vertical business which
assures product quality and supply chain reliability, while providing skills training for workers and
maintaining fair trade standards of business, collaborative communication, and ecological
standards of production.!
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The proposed BETP unit will serve the artisan textile printing and dyeing community in the Jaipur
area as a showcase model for training and future implementation at other artisan units. MSFT
believes this model will affect long term change by the fact that it is context appropriate, affordable
and puts the power to affect change in the hands of the people.!
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MSFT differentiates this solution from industry CETP units specifically because it is context
sensitive and puts the solution in the hands of the artisans themselves. A sustainable solution
should be:!
1) scaleable and adaptable!
2) grassroots-- affordable and simple to maintain!
3) support decentralized production of artisan textiles!
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With these criteria in mind, MSFT proposes to implement a scaleable biological effluent treatment
plant (BETP) which meets all three criteria for sustainability:!
1) can be easily adapted to fit the capacity, space and financial considerations of a range of small,
family-owned textile dyeing and printing units. !
2) It is also simple, relying not on high tech equipment, but rather a very basic set of filters and
biological ponds and settling tank which can be monitored and maintained easily by artisans
themselves.!
3) It is adaptable and therefore works within the pre-existing context of decentralized artisan
textile production without requiring further infrastructure or expensive equipment.!
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A Solution for Long Term Change: 3 phases!
MSFT is seeking funding to support 3 phases of water filtration development:!
1)Phase 1 is a research and development phase working with local environmental scientists who
have already investigated similar solutions to the issue at hand and which will result 2-3 scalable
options for different types of units based on size, affordability and effluent content.!
2) Phase 2 will be to install a system that meets these basic criteria for sustainability, build a
showcase model/ functioning BETP unit at MSTPL and organizing a coalition of concerned
artisans, development professionals and research experts to ensure that the system meets all
sustainability criteria and fulfills its function as a showcase teaching model!
3) Phase 3 will be directed toward community outreach. MSFT’s projected goal is to seek funding
for community awareness building regarding waste water, filtration, safe drinking water, water
security and implementation of filtration at other units. !
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Target Community!
MSTPL dyeing unit and more generally, the block printing, screen printing and dyeing
communities in Bagru and Sanganer in the Jaipur region of Rajasthan, India.!
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History and problem!
The Jaipur region, and specifically Bagru area is home to the Chippa community of block printers
who have traditionally used natural vegetable dyes when block printing fabric. Bagru is a village
situated around 30 km east of Jaipur city, Rajasthan and is known!
for its hand block printing. The traditional process of hand block printing on!
textiles, with rich natural colours, has been known for many centuries, beginning!
about 400 years ago. At the height of the craft, as estimated 3000 households were involved. !
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Recent market pressures have created a demand for chemical dyes and faster, cheaper printing
methods. Block printers have introduced chemical dyes and the community as a whole has also
partially switched to screen printing as a cheaper, chemical based alternative to vegetable dye
block prints. This market change has created an environmental backlash of toxic waste water
from the printing and dyeing units being channeled directly into the community water supply
through rivers such as the Amani Shah Nalla near Sanganer. This water, used for drinking and
agriculture, is now contaminated with a range of carcinogenic chemicals. There is to date no
systemic infrastructure to handle waster filtration from the textile industry. (information gathered by
Switch Asia Project)!
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Current scenario!
Thus, the hand block printing practice has declined in Bagru (only about 600-800 households
remain now), while screen printing has spread to more urban neighbourhoods in Sanganer (300
units) and Jaipur. In both areas, chemical dyes are now used without waste water filtration.!
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Environmental Impact!
Many research projects and scholarly articles, both by Indian and foreign researchers, have
addressed the issue of waste water toxicity and found residue levels in the local water table,
rivers, agricultural fields and household drinking water to be above acceptable limits for residue
toxicity.!
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Notably a recent study was published in the Turkish Journal of Engineering and Environmental
Sciences, October 2013:!
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Environmental impact of dyeing and printing industry of Sanganer, Rajasthan (India)!
AUTHOR(S)!
HUSAIN, Ikbal; HUSAIN, Jakir; ARIF, Mohammed!
October 2013!
SOURCE!
Turkish Journal of Engineering & Environmental Sciences;2013, Vol. 37 Issue 3, p272!
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ABSTRACT!
“Wastewater and ground water samples of Sanganer were studied to find out the pollution load of
wastewater generated from dyeing and printing units and its impact on the quality of domestic
wastewater of the Amanishah Nallah and groundwater. The wastewater of these units was found
to have high concentrations of sodium, chloride, and sulfate. It has remarkable concentrations of
copper, chromium, and iron with low chemical oxygen demand and nearly 7-fold biochemical
oxygen demand. The wastewater of these units, discharged on land without any treatment, comes
into the Amanishah Nallah through small watercourses. The quality of the domestic wastewater of
Nallah deteriorates with the mixing of wastewater from these units. Maximum concentrations of
physicochemical parameters were found at the Sanganer Road bridge sampling point. Eleven
groundwater samples, collected from various locations of Sanganer, were found polluted due to
percolation of wastewater into the ground. Copper and chromium were recorded from some
groundwater sources while iron was recorded from almost all sources. Sodium and chloride are
the major cation and anion in the groundwater, which is identical to the wastewater of dyeing and
printing units. Source G5, near the small watercourse carrying the wastewater of these units, had
maximum impact and maximum values of physicochemical parameters.”!
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Other references to the problem include Ashwani Kumar’s report in Science 20!
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http://www.science20.com/humboldt_fellow_and_science/blog/
sanganer_exports_printed_clothes_and_hand_made_paper_are_not_one_sided_boon-87319!
“Sanganer has developed as major hub of textile dyeing and printing. . . . Textile wastewater is a
major source of pollutants. Textile industries consume large amount of water and chemicals for
wet processing of textiles. After processing, these industries discharge generally untreated
effluents into the Amanishah Nalla or adjoining drains from where they finally reach the
Amanishah Nalla. During the course of movement of the effluents, there is considerable amount
of infiltration and percolation of the toxic chemicals into the soils thus polluting soil, underground
water, pools and vegetation. The chemical reagents used are very diverse in chemical
composition, ranging from inorganic compounds to polymers and organic products (Banat et al.,
1996). In general, textile effluents are mostly discharged into the environment after minimal
pretreatment with a high amount of pollutants (Oxspring et al., 1993). It is typically grey or
coloured, alkaline and high in temperature, BOD5 (700to 2,000 milligrams per liter (mg/L)) (Park
and Shore, 1984) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (approximately 2 to 5 times the
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) level), solids, oil and possibly toxic organics, including
phenols (from dyeing and finishing) and halogenated organics (from processes such as
bleaching)(Table 1.2). Dye wastewaters are frequently highly colored and may containheavy
metals such as Cu, Cr, Cd, Co, Hg, Ni, Mg, Fe and Mn (Wagner, 1993). !
“The toxic effluents from dyeing and printing units are scattered all over the Sanganer and have
polluted soil, water and vegetation (Fig. 1.4 - 1.17). Industrial effluents containing dyes,
aniline,caustic soda, acids, bleaching powder, metal ions etc. are discharged into Amanishah
Nalla which flows through Sanganer. Water from the nalla is used by farmers to irrigate their
fields. Vegetables grown in these fields are sent to the market in the urban centre for consumption
which cause many disorders and dis eases. Workers engaged in this type of industry also suffer
from various health hazards like eczema, contact dermatitis, asthma etc.”!
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Related History, Differentiation of MSFT’s proposed solution!
While other organizations have admirably organized community solutions, such as AIACA’s work
in partnership with Traidcraft on the Switch Asia Project on a combined effluent treatment plant
(CETP) for use specifically within the industrial area near Bagru (reference: Impact Sheet, Switch
Asia Project: sustainable Textiles for Sustainable Development http://www.switch-asia.eu/projects/
sustex/), MSFT sees several basic issues with this approach which do not provide a sustainable
solution: !
1) the CETP system is enclosed within the industrial park only!
2) the Jaipur textile sector is artisan-based, part of the informal, decentralized work force and, as
such, industrialized solutions do not match the scale or needs of the community!
3) types of treatment vary from unit to unit based on the type of dyeing and printing work so a
mass solution is inherently problematic!
4) artisan units must move their working area to within the specific confines of this enclosed area
to take advantage of the CETP which will not be possible for most units-only larger, more
commercial units have access to this type of industrial park!
5) extra costs are incurred for artisan moving into this area!
6) the industrialization of an an artisan textile tradition poses inherent problems, notably the gap
between “artisan” and “industrial”!
7) the industrialization of the process requires a shift from decentralized, rural production to
centralized production which shifts the balance of power away from artisan autonomy and into
the hands of companies who can afford to commercialize the process!
8) the commercialization means fewer artisan will retain ownership and control over their own
printing and dyeing facilities so potentially damages the independent status of artisan
microenterprise!
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Implementation: Steps to a sustainable solution!
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In collaboration with and under the advisement of local environmental scientists, MSFT will build
a treatment plant (BETP) at MSTPL dyeing unit. The projected cost of this is (see budget) and will
take approximately 2-4 months to development (see 3D rendering of dyeing unit and video/
animation of process flow of BETP treatment 1,2,3 forthcoming).!
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The BETP process consists of:!
preliminary treatment!
1) physical screening to catch fabric particles, grit and other particles!
primary treatment: removal of suspended solids and organic matter!
2) equalization to provide a continuous slow water feed to the biological portion of the system!
3) neutralization to balance the pH so that the bacteria used in the biological portion can perform
effectively!
Secondary treatment: removal of biodegrable organic matter and suspended solids!
4) aeration to provide oxygen for the biological treatment!
5) coagulation and flocculation which removes suspended solids and causes them to settle out of
solution!
6) biological treatment to reduce concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds and collect
them in an activated sludge which can then be removed as dried “bricks”!
Tertiary treatment: removal of residual suspended/dissolved solids!
7) basic carbon, sand, gravel filtration of grey water through gravitational filter for additional
solvent extraction and chemical precipitation.!
Final stage: reusing grey water for crop irrigation, gardening, washing!
!!
!Testing/Standard to achieve
Below are several of the main criteria for waste water residue.
1) color--though the color is not a direct indicator of toxicity, it is more of an issue in water reuse
2) BOD and COD--this is a measurement of the biological and chemical oxygen demand, or the
quantity of dissolved oxygen used by microorganisms in the biological oxidation of the organic
matter in waste water
3) TDS and TSS--this is a measure of total dissolved solids and total suspended solids after initial
physical filtration of course particals like cotton threads
4) metals--a number of metals which can be toxic to humans and can be in industrial wastewater
include Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, and Zn.
5) nutrient content--testing for the presence of nitrogen, nitrate and ammonia which in higher
concentrations can result in excessive plant growth and oxygen removal in the water
6) pH --is a measure if acidity or alkalinity and should be within the range of 6-9.
7) sulphur and sulphide--various sulphur compounds can create poisonous hydrogen sulphide
gas
8) oil and grease--which can interfere with aquatic life in water systems and is generally harmful to
the environment.
!More specific details on residue limits are available and will be included in future versions of this
proposal. see also research:
!Factors to consider
1) national and international standards to comply with
2) volume of waste water, which specific contaminants
3) size and cost of etp
4) maintenance of etp
5) land available for etp
6) expert or etp advisor
7) matching the etp to specific needs/adaptability
8) water available for argricultural and human use
!Contribution/Sustainability/Feasibility
1) contribution to the community --working to help the artisan textile community as a whole to find
a sustainable (affordable) solution to basic water filtration and to use this platform to promote
artisan prints to both the domestic and international markets as a direct result of improved
environmental standards!
2) sustainability and scalability --- a grassroots, 3 tier filtration system is affordable and
adaptable/scalable to a range of units so can be introduced with minimal costs and
infrastructure and still make a difference in providing grey water which is clean enough to be
repurposed and to removing toxic chemicals which are introduced during the dyeing and
printing process, from the run off waster water!
3) budget--as a grassroots filtration system rather than and industrial model ETP unit, the budget
focus is on affordability and practicality for the local community. The 3 tier filtration system
uses a physical strainer, a chemical/biological equalizer (to balance ph levels and then to bind
chemical molecules so that they come out of solution and can then be filtered in stage 3), clay/
soil/gravel filter which can be built in something as simple as a rain water barrel which filters
out the chemical residue from the dyeing/printing process and results in a semi-solid sludge
waste which can then be dried and removed leaving reusable grey water. The entire filtration
system can be built manually for each unit very cheaply and does not require an industrial
model at any stage while still accomplishing the required standard for residue levels in grey
water post filtration. The purpose is to achieve a real-life grassroots solution. It is scaleable,
affordable and environmentally crucial to the livelihood and well-being of the artisan printing
and dyeing community.!
4) knowledge of the area, issues, community are evidenced through MSTPL’s long-standing ties
to the artisan textile community as well as the fact that MSTPL also operates an artisan level
dyeing unit and so shares the same concerns first hand and has first hand knowledge of the
specific environment. We have personally visited numerous dyeing and printing units through
the areas of Bagru and Sanganer, reviewed their waste water situation, questioned owners
about the situation, interviewed and video taped several owners. We have discussed industrial
ETP unit construction with various industry leaders and company owners who build and install
industrial model ETP units for the textile industry.!
5) feasibility of the BETP concept is evidenced through multiple research studies in India and
Bangladesh which have undertaken to examine ETPS units based on residue testing for: TDS
(total dissolved solid), TSS (total suspended solid), SVI, MLSS (mixed liquor suspended
solids), hardness, BOD (measure of dissolved oxygen), COD, pH, color, turbidity, chemical
coagulation among others. (study finding to be attached in appendix)!
!!
!
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Several of the ideas expressed above regarding layout and feasibility of BETP units are inspired
by the study “Managing and Monitoring Effluent Treatment Plants” written by the “Managing
Industrial Pollution from Small- and Medium-Scale Industries in Bangladesh” Project. The Project
is funded by the Department for International Development, UK under its Knowledge and
Research Programme and the European Commission, under its Asia Pro Eco Programme. The
project is also undertaken in collaboration with the pollution component of the Investment Support
to MACH (MACH refers to the Managing Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry
project) which is funded by the Government of Bangladesh.
The work has been undertaken by the Stockholm Environment Institute, the Bangladesh Centre
for Advanced Studies and the University of Leeds.
More information about the project, including downloads of project documents, can be found at
http://www.sei.se/water/beel.
!Other experts who have written on the issue and who MSFT will seek advise from:
Padma S. Vankar, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur!
Raj Jani, Asian Heritage Foundation, New Delhi!
Arunabha Majumder, Jadavpur University, Kolkata!
H. S. Sharma, Dr. K. M. Modi Institute of Engineering, Ghaziabad!
**all from “Solution Exchange for the Water Community, consolidated reply, June 2009!
!
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Outcomes, impact on the community!
Developing and implementing a simple, scaleable BETP system which will then be affordable to
artisans will have an enormous impact on the community at all levels: !
1) at the commercial level it will improve the environmental footprint and make the goods more
marketable thus improving income generation for artisans!
2) on a biological level it will notably improve the quality of water used in agriculture!
3) on an environmental level it will help protect the quality of the ground water supply!
4) on the human level it will improve the quality of household drinking water and help toward
reducing water toxicity related illness!
5) on an educational level, it will provide a platform and resource for expanding the concept to
other textile centers and generate awareness about effective, grassroots solutions!
!
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II. PLAN FOR MEASURING PROJECT RESULTS!
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Results for phase 1 will be measured by whether or not the system meets the criteria proposed.!
1) scaleability--the capacity of the system must easily be adjusted to accommodate different
volumes of water per day!
2) minimal space--the water filtration tanks and neutralizing ponds must be able to be built within
narrowly confined areas!
3) affordability--all materials should be available locally and be constructed with local labour and
be at a price affordable to small artisan units (INR 30,000 for small units to INR 1,00,000 for
larger units)!
4) easy to maintain-- all 3 portions of the system can be maintained by the unit owners and semiskilled labour!
5) Residue testing--proof that the filtration system reduces waste water contaminants to the
allowable governmental limits!
6) easy removal and systematic disposal of final waste sludge ‘bricks’!
7) reuse of filtered grey water--introduce collection containers for grey water for repurposing for
crop irrigation!
!
Results for phase 2 will be a functioning BETP unit which meets environmental standards based
on residue testing.!
!
Results for phase 3 involve community response and participation and will be measured in the
following ways:!
1) monthly ongoing meetings of a grassroots coalition to discuss implementation of phase 2!
2) holding workshops with local artisan printers and dyers at the unit to teach the process!
3) interviewing local textile artisans to understand their level of knowledge, concern commitment
to water filtration and practical limitations of BETP units for artisans--both physical and financial!
!
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Organization Background: Mehera Shaw Foundation Trust!
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Goals and vision!
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The goals of MSFT are three-fold.!
1) to provide livelihood creation for artisans in the textile sector through a series of skills
development/product generation projects (specifically for women as well)!
2) to use these networks to organize and support community-based social/infrastructure
development for improved environmental standards/sustainability which directly impacts quality
of life (water treatment, health, education, renewable energy)!
3) to develop a network for ongoing skills training coupled with educational/market training so that
the products generated have true market value.!
!
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Current programs and accomplishments!
!
MSFT is currently working on four interrelated projects within the boarder picture of artisan
development, water security, education and women’s development in the textile sector:!
1) We have developed an upcycling project using post-production scrap fabric to create valueadded accessories. The textile industry generates huge volumes of post production fabric scrap
(up to 30% of manufacturing is scrap). MSFT has developed trend-driven collections of artisan
upcycled products for both the domestic Indian and international markets, which in turn creates
a self-sustaining cycle of income generation and reduces waste in the textile industry. The
products include homewares (quilts, bags, aprons, hot pads), fashion accessories, toys and
dolls, garment trims). MSFT has partnered with local non profits in Jaipur whose mission is to
provide skills training (specifically textile/sewing skills) to minority and disadvantaged women.
MSFT has initiated projects with MSTPL private label customers for the design and production
of upcycled fashion accessories. MSTPL has donated expertise and time to the projects to
provide skills training and generate orders and sales. !
2) Water filtration through context sensitive BETP units which will impact the lives of artisans
engaged in the textile industry: currently at the initial phase of a broader project in water
reclamation and security.!
3) Rejuvenating of the block printing industry. MSFT has begun the process of interviewing block
printers, video taping and collecting historical, cultural and technical information about the art of
block printing so that the full story can be told. The aim is awareness building, cultural
exchange, regeneration of the market demand for block prints and, in connection to water
security, reintroduction of vegetable dyeing for best environmental sustainability of the textile
industry. While MSFT focuses on the historical and conservation aspects, MSTPL focuses on
the business side with the introduction of workshops for artisan printers, market access,
transparency in the supply chain.!
4) “Bridging the Gap”, Education and outreach programs in collaboration with MSTPL. We
regularly host international textile print design interns from Europe and the US as part of a
training program in teaching young designers to work with block prints. The internship program
is part of a larger awareness building platform to bridge the gap across the supply chain and
cross culturally. We have also developed a workshop program and spoken at conferences
internationally in the UK, US and Germany on supply chain transparency, bridging the gap and
artisan methods of production.!
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Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd.!
Philosophy and mission!
Mehera Shaw is focused on ‘people centered development’; it is one of our core values as a
company. We are a fair trade company whose mission includes grassroots initiatives and
supporting Gandhian principles of self-sufficiency, civil rights for all, respectful treatment and
caste/class/religious/ethnic non-discriminatory working conditions. We support cottage industries,
artisan-made textiles, decentralized production. It is from this perspective, that we choose to work
with artisans and artisan textiles. And it is from this layered, context-sensitive perspective that we
firmly believe any lasting, sustainable change must be at a grassroots level--achievable by the
people themselves.!
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We work with artisan printing units and have installed an artisan level dyeing unit of our own.
“Artisan” refers to both volume and context. We work in smaller volumes than industrialized, hightech units which are able to afford climate control, water treatment and industrial levels of
infrastructure. We also work with semi-skilled laborers or artisans in open-air facilities that
provide ventilated work spaces, maintain a village way of life, offer regular employment, positive
working conditions and a livelihood to this class of laborers. We maintain an orderly, systematic
process, respectful treatment of our workers and believe this level of decentralized production is
not only a necessary part of India’s artisan-level economy, but a testimony to the richness of
India’s textile traditions. !
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Conclusion!
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Block printing is a recognized heritage craft of India. Many development organizations seek to
preserve and sustain the art so that it will flourish and artisans can find markets in today’s
economy. The textile industry generally, which includes Sanganer screen printing and dyeing are
part of an important source of revenue for the Jaipur region and a fundamental part of India’s
textile industry as well as the informal craft sector. !
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Market demands have created a dire situation of lack of infrastructure to manage waste water
from the dyeing and printing. Given the current status, the need for affordable water filtration is
more important than ever before. Toxic chemicals found in water used for agriculture and
household drinking water are carcinogenic and are the root cause of many ailments for people of
all ages.!
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Artisan textile production is also inherently decentralized, small-scale production in family owned
units too small to afford water filtration. There is no government provided infrastructure for water
treatment and no practical means of industrializing the solution. Part of the significance of this
textile industry is it’s small-scale structure which allows many artisan families income generation
and preservation of a valued artisan tradition.!
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MSTPL supports sustainable artisan development and as such, is both a changemaker in the
community and a resource. MSTPL is committed to solutions which are grassroots, affordable,
scaleable and which provide sustainable livelihood generation to artisans engaged in the textile
sector. MSTPL works directly with printers and dyers as well as many other types of textile
artisans and firmly believes that solutions must be from the ground up, within the grasp of the
artisans themselves to have lasting value. !
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Funding will provide MSTPL the opportunity to form a local coalition comprised of artisans,
development professionals and local research experts dedicated to implementing small-scale
BETP units and to then build a showcase model in conjunction with our nearly completed
industrial ETP within the dyeing unit of MSTPL. !
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