How to go from fabric scraps to cheap mattresses for COVID
Among all the problems that the COVID pandemic has brought us, there is also, if possible even more, the waste that is being generated with the use of personal protective equipment (The famous anti COVID gowns - EPP) and the masks.
Other negative impact that we add to the environment when last year, as we discussed on our blog, it seemed that the pandemic and extreme weather conspired an almost perfect revenge against humanity.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen some growth Innovative startups with a new line of business; recycling disposable masks or PPE equipment to make other components. The famous CSIC has even developed a new material for sanitary mask filters composed of nanofibers that are biodegradable. Excellent!
But there is one initiative in particular, which represents the intelligence, insight and intuition to overcome any obstacle and create, from scratch, a sustainable company that brings tangible benefits to the environment, that is economically viable, and, in addition, has a social dimension important.
To put ourselves in context, we have to move to the India. Currently, together with China, one of the world's largest manufacturers in all types of personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks.
Certainly it means tangible benefits for some textile companies, but it also produces a huge amount of leftover waste that is no longer useful for the manufacturing processn. With the paradox that, in India, there is a lack of bedding in many COVID care centers, especially in more disadvantaged areas.
This is where the creativity or, rather, the intelligence of the renowned eco-innovator Lakshmi Menon comes in, led by Pure Living … What can we do about India's textile waste and hospital needs? Can we do something with the waste produced in the manufacture of personal protective equipment (PPE)? Of those hundreds of tons of scraps that flood many textile factories in India.
The answer … project Shayya! Using them wastes that are no longer useful in the manufacture of personal protective equipment to create low-cost mattresses that will be used in hospitals with COVID patients. Without a doubt… the best idea of the year!
“We have managed to make mattresses for half the price, with excellent material; a light, soft, washable and hygienic mattress »
And at this point, since there are no technical resources or money; they have invented a way of manually braiding the scraps to make mattresses… “Braiding allows each piece of fabric of different sizes to be used. Even the smallest piece will do, and everyone knows how to make a braid ».
But… How do you make a mattress that does not require a thread or a needle?
- Three pieces of the scrap fabric are laid side by side and braided together.
- As the fabric reaches the end, more pieces of fabric are added and braided to 25 meters in length.
- It is laid out in a zigzag pattern, and tied with more patchwork fabric. The bed has to have a length of 1.80 meters, and a width of almost 0.80 meters.
- Finally, the loose ends are identified and tied together.
Lakshmi, affirms that from a small textile industry that has an average stock of 6 tons of cut waste, 2,400 Shayyas mattresses can be made … "We have a clear objective, to reduce both the entry of virgin materials and the production of waste, as long as it benefits the local economy and is socially sustainable"
In addition, these mats, which are initially intended for COVID care centers, can also be distributed among the homeless who are forced to sleep on harder surfaces.
The entrepreneur, who lives in the Indian state of Kerala. He does not miss an opportunity to add value to society and improve the economic status of the poorest families. He hired local women for his small startup who had lost their jobs during a lockdown of several weeks to craft the Shayyas.
The project shayya it has been adopted by the UN. Included in a list of innovative ideas to fight Covid that can be easily replicated anywhere in the world.
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