Contemporary Papermaking in the Tradition of Mahatma Gandhi

Abstract

This editorial draws a parallel between important papermaking innovations that were implemented by Mahatma Gandhi and some more recent ventures in papermaking in India.  Both of these examples share common themes of fostering the skills of local people, using local resources, and contributing to a better future. A key insight is the scaling of the equipment to be well matched with the size of the production team and enabling a broad range of product grades. The case study considered introduces a modern twist – using papermaking to achieve circularity in the production of textiles.  As in the early days of European papermaking, once again waste textile products are serving as the primary source of material.