New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has secured patent registration for its innovative plastic-mixed handmade paper developed from nature to tackle the plastic menace.

The patent certificate was issued to KVIC's Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI), Jaipur on August 2 by the Controller of Patent, Intellectual Property of India, the commission said in a statement.

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It said the idea of developing plastic-mixed handmade paper was invented by KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena in September 2018 and in just two months (in November), the project was executed by a team of scientists at KNHPI.

The plastic-mixed handmade paper was developed under Project REPLAN (REducing PLAstic from Nature).

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"This is a first-of-its-kind project in India, where plastic waste is destructured, degraded, diluted and used with paper pulp while making handmade paper and thus, reduces plastic waste from nature. The invention is aligned with the prime minister's call for fighting the menace of single-use plastic," the commission said.

Welcoming the patent, Saxena said it was a big recognition of KVIC's unique innovation, which is unprecedented in the world.

The production of waste plastic-mixed handmade paper would serve the twin objectives of protecting the environment alongside creating sustainable employment, he added.

"The innovative plastic-mixed handmade paper will be of great advantage to nature. Nearly 2,640 handmade paper-making units in the country under KVIC and state Khadi boards have the potential of clearing approximately 3,000 MT of waste plastic from nature every year. At the same time, it can also create thousands of new jobs like collection of waste plastic, cleaning and processing. It is, therefore, an apt model of sustainable development," Saxena said.

He added that the KVIC would soon begin training entrepreneurs in making plastic-mixed handmade paper and share technical know-how with the domestic paper industry.

Elaborating on the technology developed by KVIC, the commission said it uses both high and low-density waste polythene that not only adds extra strength to the paper but also reduces the cost by up to 34 per cent, adding that the product is recyclable and eco-friendly.

KVIC has developed products such as carry bags, envelopes, files, folders etc. using plastic-mixed handmade paper, it said.

"So far, KVIC has sold over 13 lakh plastic-mixed handmade paper carry bags, utilising nearly 40 MT of waste plastic of Jaipur city, while generating revenue of nearly Rs 1.3 crore.

"The Rashtrapati Bhavan had specially ordered 7,000 plastic-mixed handmade paper carry bags for keeping water bottles for the swearing-in ceremony of Shri Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister in his second term on 31st May, 2019," it said.

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