3 Friends Have Turned 500 kg of Pharmaceutical Waste into Intricate Fabric for Furniture!

Friends Jannat, Mallika and Sharon have collaborated on the project Daera X Cancelled Plans, a sustainable collective that turns pharmaceutical and textile waste into stunning furniture and unique designs for home decor.

It seemed as though weddings were the most serendipitous events for ideas to bloom — in 2019, Mallika, Sharon and Jannat struck up a conversation during a ceremony in Thailand, and realised they shared the same interests, even if their body of work was different. 

“This was when we came up with the idea for the collection,” says Mallika. “While Jannat and Sharon would be in charge of the  colours and silhouettes, I would take care of the textures and patterns.” 

Sharon & Jannat had set up their design venture Daera which translates to ‘establishments’ in Punjabi. 

“Cancelled Plans is driven by a love for rejects and a passion for using the unused,” Mallika notes as she sets the tone for the work the brand does. At the helm of the brand since 2018, Mallika has been engaged in curating fabric made out of different kinds of waste that would otherwise pile up in landfills. 

Daera X Cancelled Plans is unique not just for its range of furnishings, but also for the kind of waste that it repurposes. And interestingly, it was Mallika’s background in the healthcare space that formed the basis of this. 

“Following an MBA, I was working with a pharmaceutical,” she notes. “During this time I became aware of the amounts of waste generated in this industry and later, when I founded Cancelled Plans, I revisited this thought, ensuring that waste always found a way into my designs.” 

As sustainable designs dot the pages of their collection, the friends share this was always the theme they intended. “We wanted our designs to reflect the future, and this was our guiding principle all the way.” Mallika goes on, “We intended to create furniture of tomorrow.” 

Where waste gets a new face 

The primary waste is sourced from industrial areas in and around Delhi and Hyderabad. “Having lived in Hyderabad, I am familiar with the manufacturing industries here. In fact, I started sourcing waste from the same pharmaceutical company where I worked. We collect the non-hazardous waste from these companies.”  Says Mallika

This includes the packaging of tablets, plastic wraps, the shredded bits that come out as the machines are cutting off tablets, empty containers, etc. Waste from the other factories includes textile waste, extra material obtained from billboard printing companies, and many other such kinds of waste. Mallika adds, “We have prevented 500 kg of waste from entering into landfills by repurposing it for our products.” 

Once the waste material is ready, the next part of the process is turning them into fabric. 

For this, the trio works with artisans in Hyderabad comprising traditional embroiderers who work in the Char Minar area, handloom weavers, and textile workers in Pochampalli, Tamil Nadu.  Whilst Mallika heads this part of operations, Jannat and Sharon come up with designs for the pieces. “And more importantly, what the story behind them is going to be,” says Jannat

“We wanted to keep the pieces in the collection minimalistic and derived inspiration from the Bauhaus era — a modern art that was started in Germany in the 20th century and focuses on abstract forms with a focus on function,” she adds. 

“The products exhibit a silhouette-like fine, linear, subtle and minimal appearance for the fabric to take heed to create a distinct collection. The collection helps drive a circular economy by crafting rejected materials into everyday usable products with a tinge of style.”

After developing a number of drafts, the trio came up with their final collection that coupled style with upholstery that allowed for a lot of stretchability. The products include furniture such as lounge chairs, warp chairs, shuttle benches, along with decor comprising chandeliers, pod lights, and oracle mirrors. The items from the collection are sold across India

Meanwhile Jannat, Sharon and Mallika say their labour of love has intended just what it set out to do — give waste a brighter future!

Reference: thebetterindia