Flags embedded with seeds are creating new crops in India.
Now, a startup from Kanpur is recycling plastic-wrapped flower waste that would otherwise end up in the Ganges to produce a handmade alternative to leather.
The flowers are collected from mosques and temples, categorised and then freed from chemical fertilisers using an organic spray.
After being dried in the sun, fungi cultures are added. These grow into a flexible, stable mat.
A sustainable alternative to styrofoam and incense sticks are also manufactured using a similar process.
The startup’s female crafters have already prevented some 13 tonnes of waste from polluting the holy river.
Like this leather from bacteria, the material is fully biodegradable.
Venture Capital firms like the Flower Power.
