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GREEN ENTERPRISES
Farmers in Bhutan are forced to burn areca nut residue, thereby worsening air pollution. Working in Gelephu, a town in Sarpang District, Deki Natural Dyes has been innovatively addressing this problem via multiple solutions – by converting areca nut husk into yarn, using the wastewater from the steaming of the areca nut to make natural dyes, and converting other waste into manure. This has successfully reduced air pollution, helped reduce chemical pollution, and generated more manure for farming. In the process, it contributes to a circular economy and boosts Bhutan’s policies of self-sufficiency and higher rural growth.
The areca nut, also widely known as betel nut, is a seed of the areca palm that grows well in a variety of soils. Areca nut farming is common among farmers in Bhutan, particularly in the country’s southern belt, and is an important source of income for farmers, through exports to neighbouring countries.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, farmers were unable to export areca nuts to India, a regular practice until that time. As a result, areca nuts were sold locally, but farmers in Bhutan had no option but to burn the husk, a waste residue that makes up 30 per cent of the total mass of the areca nut. If this scenario of burning the crop residue is not addressed properly, air pollution will only get worse. Another problem – which an innovative use of the areca nut could potentially address – is the increasing use of highly polluting chemical dyes by the textile fashion industry. There has also been an increasing demand for traditional yarn. At Deki Natural Dyes, we decided to simultaneously address all these issues, while also foreseeing a potential growth in business and scaling up of production capacities.
Deki Natural Dyes intends to make efficient use of all materials and resources that are locally available. We innovatively utilise the potential of areca nut to manufacture multiple products. We have re-engineered our business model by creating value addition to the areca nut’s waste products and by-products, and, in the process, scaled up our existing dyeing business activities. We convert husk into yarn, use the boiled wastewater from the steaming of the areca nut to make natural dyes, and convert the other waste into manure. This has not only solved the problem related to waste management and environmental pollution, but also provided extra income to local people.
We now produce three environmentally-friendly products from one raw material source, adding value to the product itself, and conserve nature by reducing waste and pollution. There are three elements to this solution: • Husk waste to yarn: The husk of the areca nut is separated and processed to be converted into yarn. This is the first of its kind in Bhutan and possibly the first business model to promote a circular economy and through a social enterprise. • Waste water to dye: The waste water that is a by-product of steaming the areca nut is the primary raw material used in dyeing the yarn. • Other waste (shell and husk waste) to manure: What is left over from the areca nut and the process is converted into manure. As manure is in great demand in the cultivation of crops and vegetables in the country, there is no dearth in the market for manure. In our next phase, we will set up green infrastructure at Gelephu, a town in Sarpang District and set up a areca nut farmers’ cooperative.
Converting the husk of the areca nut into yarn helps reduce air pollution, since less of the husk is burnt by local farmers. Using natural dyes also potentially helps reduce chemical pollution. These solutions also align well with Bhutan’s overarching economic policy of self-sufficiency and helps accelerate rural economic growth. Not only have these measures helped increase areca nut production, but also, the conversion of waste into beneficial products has created a circular economy in areca nut farming. This can be replicated in other areas that are dominated by areca nut farming.
Each of the RMS solutions are linked to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the UN in 2015. The SDGs that this intervention contributes to are as follows:
