LIFAFFA - Upcycling plastic waste to create vegan leather

Plastic waste- especially non-recyclables like Low Density Plastics and Multi Layered Packaging pose a big threat to the planet. We have created a proprietary process to produce a type of vegan leather from low-density plastic waste. Our model works to provide training and empowering BoP groups to process plastic waste into fabric and finally to fabricate end-products like handbags, wallets and fashion accessories. These products are then sold to generate profits. Our vision has always been to achieve tangible social impact and by this model and technology we have been able to train 1200 ragpickers and upcycle over 8000kgs of low-density plastic waste. The model led to increase the income of the ragpickers by 150%. 

This technology can be used across industries to create home decor, housing tiles, wallpapers, footwear etc. It can create a whole new industry which has the potential to be bigger than the leather industry. 

In India, over 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated daily. Out of which 60% is collected by the waste authorities. 20% of collected waste is treated. This implies 7,200 tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the landfill every day. The treated plastic waste is recycled in an unsustainable manner and produces 60 tonnes of CO2 emissions for every ton of plastic that is recycled. Growing wastage is because of the growing use of “nonrecycled” plastics. Seeing little return value, recyclers toss these plastics into landfills, where they pile up and never decompose. As a result, landfill space is also becoming a concern.

Urban poverty is a growing segment in the Indian population. Many lack skills for employment and many are refugees and migrants who have come to metropolitan cities in search of better lives. India has approximately 10 million ragpickers living in slums across metropolitan cities scavenging for survival. They have a daily income of about Rs100 forcing every family member into the only available profession of ragpicking. Lack of skills coupled with the lack in market linkages prevents them from breaking free from the vicious circle of poverty and exploitation.

We work at the Grassroot level with regpicker and bottom-of-the-pyramid refugee groups and empower them in using waste as a resource.

Ragpickers play a crucial role in the supply chain of waste. They remain the most exploited class of Indian society. Most ragpickers are migrants, displaced communities and unrecognized refugees who have come to the city in search of a better life. Lack of skills coupled with socio-economic barriers lead them to scavenging for survival.

Our solution empowers groups of ragpickers and turns them into micro-enterprises who can create fabric and end-products from the only available resource to them – waste. We have different groups set up 

1. To reprocess waste into fabric

2. To make products out of fabric

 Individuals who are skilled in stitching/handwork/embroidery are then set up into the second enterprise – to craft end-product. We help our groups establish market linkages and provide design inputs with a goal that they would eventually become self-sustainable.

In this way, we have been able to create 8 independent micro-enterprises which are now functioning profitably. This has led to the increase of their incomes by 150% which has enabled better education and medical aid for their families. 

At LIFAFFA, we have developed a technology to create a leather-like material from plastic waste, a patented process that produces what we call Handmade Recycled Plastic(HRP). This fabric can then be used as a substitute for leather to create high-end products like handbags, trench coats, footwear etc. Handmade recycled plastic (HRP) is a sheet which is processed from waste Low Density Plastic and High Density Plastic polythene available at landfill sites. We can also process Multi Layered Packaging using this process. A meter of the fabric typically uses upto 350gms of waste plastic bags. The overall process uses much less energy than traditional recycling of plastic, and apart from fusing the sheets, keeps the plastic in its original form. In this way, since melting of plastic is avoided, no toxic fumes are released during the process. It employs a process which reuses waste materials using minimum amounts of energy to produce products of increased value. Currently we have proven our success in the Fashion world but the technology can be used to create products across industries to create furniture, home décor items, housing tiles etc.

Our enterprise focuses on empowering the urban poor community by training them to use plastic waste as a resource and creating high-end products to run an independent and sustainable enterprise, thereby creating decentralised micro-enterprises and jobs with dignity for them. These micro-enterprises are then supported by LIFAFFA to establish market linkages and ultimately make them self-sustainable.

1)          Innovation in business model – We focus on empowering the group to create their own livelihood and setting up decentralised production enterprises for maximum social impact.

2)          Innovation in raw materials used – We train the community to use waste as a resource. Waste is the only available resource to this community and we train them in turning a high a profit from this resource closing the loop on complex wastes like LDP and MLP plastics.

3)          Innovation in technology - This is a completely new technique that we employ to upcycle traditionally non-recyclable plastic waste. It is patented by our organization. Further R&D is on way to construct solids from plastic waste without melting them.

4)          Innovation in Market Linkages – Along with traditional marketing channels of B2B and B2C sales, we have an aggregator model to sell via brand for upcycled products called – LIFAFFA(www.lifaffa.com).

Inputs

Outputs

Outcome

Impact

Financial for machinery and training

HRP fabric and products

Reduced plastic in the waste stream

Plastic waste as a resource

Raw Material : plastic waste

Extended value chain of plastic waste

Skilled labour

Empowered community

Supply Chain: Ragpickers

Jobs of dignity for the ragpickers

Formalising the informal sector

Conscious Market