Sustainable gifting attempts to reduce resource consumption, utilise natural, biodegradable, and reusable materials, upcycle items that have already been used but are still present somewhere in our world, support craftsmen, fairly compensate all workers, and give back to society in a constructive way.
Sustainable presents encourage people to decrease waste and live a more environmentally responsible lifestyle. They can also assist you in making a powerful statement about your views and ideals.
The word “gift” makes us all happy and excited. No wonder it is the most tangible way of how we express our love and fondness to each other. But only a few of us would have thought about where these pretty gifting items and those beautiful decorations come from, and what impact they cause around us after that.
Ever since the industrial revolution and an increase in consumerism, most of the gift items manufactured today have synthetic materials in them, most common being plastic, an age-old enemy of our environment. Qualities like lightweight, cheap cost and ease of getting moulded into any shape have made it a further popular choice of many manufacturers.
Then comes the plastic wrappers we used to wrap up those gifts, to make it look good to the receiver. Not only are these too made from plastics, but they are also just a onetime use thing, getting thrown away once the gift is unwrapped.
Gifting adds up to millions of tons of waste, and half of them go straight to landfills. Therefore, instead of looking for another shiny, nonbiodegradable item to give away, we should stop and think if there is any other sustainable approach to this practice.
Parth AtulKumar Shah, a Gujarat-based assistant professor, saw the problem and along with his teammates, came up with ‘perfect gifting solutions’. Talking to The EarthView, he talks about the concept and drives behind this eco-friendly initiative.
Parth, along with his other teammates Nisar Ahmad Momin and Mayank Suthar, initiated the idea of ‘perfect gifting solutions’ which would help in saving our planet, putting a step closure to build eco-friendly gifting solutions.
The team was well aware of the plastic problem this gifting industry has, and hence came up with gift items that are entirely sustainable and plastic-free. This one step can be a significant one in reducing plastic pollution and toxic footprint in the environment, drawing more attention to an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Parth, Nisar, and Mayank started by converting their idea of sustainable gifting into products that can be used in day-to-day life at, schools, houses, and office desks.
Some of the items created by them include compass boxes, scales, paper made pencils, sunglasses cases, perpetual calendars, laptop stands, cycle planters, clay planters, jewellery cases, customised pen holders, office desk organisers, vernier callipers, paper crafted frames, and customised name tissue box holders.
Such items can be easily used in our daily lives and can be a useful gift for our friends and families too.
With the help of digital manufacturing techniques, the items can be easily customised in shapes, sizes, designs, and operations like scanning, etching, and cuttings. The technique can also customise write-ups into different fonts.
This is not just the first time Parth has been seen doing something innovative towards the betterment of our environment. Before the ‘perfect gifting solutions’, the professor has innovated a sensor device that keeps the moisture content of your plant in check when you’re not at home.
According to him, “There must be a better way to make the things we want, a way that doesn’t spoil mother nature”.
He is currently working on the promotion and commercialisation aspect of the sensor device.
Tazeen Ansari