The handmade paper industry is one of the key khadi and village industrial activities converting waste into wealth. Raw materials for the handmade paper units are hosiery cuttings, cloth cuttings, waste paper, agricultural wastes and fibrous plant wastes like banana stem, paddy straw, jute, baggasse, sun hemp, sisal and pineapple leaf fibres. Increasing consumption rate in paper and related products will deplete forest cover and these scarce resources require a very long period for regeneration. Alternately the handmade paper industry does not require trees and can use waste materials. This help to conserve the forest wealth, which is the essential ingredient for improving the ozone cover and in controlling the increasing levels of carbon-di-oxide.
