Turning old news into good news

What if wasteful plastic could be turned into something useful? That is at the heart of what Rice & Carry, an officially certified Fair Trade company on the east coast of Sri Lanka, does. Not only do they collect and repurpose many materials, from Hessian sacks, fishing nets and old saris, they also provide employment at a fair wage for local women. From the humble plastic rice sack, these skilled women create beach totes, laundry bags, shopping bags, mini purses and much more. See here for the full range of products we stock from Rice & Carry. The finishing touchesWhat makes these...

Meet Sagara Ranga Liyanage, the man behind all the newspaper products we sell at Serendip. He is the founder of Earthbound Creations in Sri Lanka. He began his business in 2013 with a simple mission: to create mats, baskets and bowls out of old newspapers, as he had seen done by artisans from abroad. "But I had no idea how to do it," he says, "so I experimented at home. Eventually I created my own unique system." At first, he hired just three people who worked from his home. Today, he hires over 350 people, who can work from their homes or in the small...