SRI LANKA, June 1, 2018 (Up, translated from French): In Sri Lanka, a family business produces paper from elephant dung. It’s an ecological alternative to fight the ravages of deforestation. Ninety percent of the products (notebooks, photo albums, maps) are exported abroad. For the past twenty years, the company Maximus has developed an unusual and environmentally friendly paper manufacturing process, thanks to organic waste produced by elephants. This animal occupies a prominent place in the life and culture of Sri Lanka, an island located just south of India in the Indian Ocean. The elephant, symbol of peace and prosperity, is now contributing to the economic development of the country thanks to a local and ecological innovation.
Pachyderms are herbivores, large consumers of fruits and plants. They ingest up to 550 lbs per day and produce daily up to 110 lbs of droppings. Elephants do not digest the cellulose contained in plants, so their organic waste is rich in cellulose fibers. Within this company located in Kegalle, located 53 miles from Colombo, the droppings of eight elephants are collected, then dried, washed and finally tinted without chemical pigments. They then obtain natural, odorless paper, which will be transformed into manufactured products sold in 30 countries around the world.
Watch short and entertaining video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JCPd_RwCbI