Enactus

As people buy more clothes and discard them faster than ever before, the world faces alarming consequences: massive carbon emissions, immense water consumption, and textile waste that largely ends up in landfills. Clothing production demands enormous resources and generates environmental damage that is often overlooked. Every year, vast quantities of fabric are discarded, while the push for cheaper and faster manufacturing brings further strain on both ecological systems and human labour. It is within this context that Project Paivand intervenes by offering an innovative, socially conscious, zero waste model that combines sustainability and empowerment.

Project Paivand is an initiative launched by Enactus JMI. It transforms surplus fabric scraps locally known as katran into useful and aesthetically appealing products. Rather than letting this katran end up in landfills, the project identifies it as a valuable resource with untapped potential. These fabric remnants are acquired from wholesalers and garment hubs, where they are sorted by women working for daily wages. Then this sorted material is purchased and the transformation begins!

Once collected, fabric scraps are transformed by women artisans who are upskilled and trained in stitching, embroidery, and product designing. Equipped with these skills, they create items such as tote bags, sleeves, fridge covers, accessories, and home decor items, each of which offers a second life to material that would have otherwise been discarded. Thus, Paivand transforms textile residue into raw material capable of generating new economic value.

Moreover, the project envisions expanding its influence beyond generic product creation. It aspires to develop specially designed items for communities with unique needs. This includes chemo caps for cancer patients, tactile letter sheets for students with learning disabilities, weighted therapeutic blankets for adults with ADHD and Autism, etc. By addressing gaps in mainstream retail products, Paivand blends sustainability with empathy and accessibility.

Project Paivand thus proposes a powerful alternative to linear fashion cycles. It demonstrates that sustainability is neither an abstract concept nor a distant goal. It is an achievable practice fuelled by local skills, conscious consumption, and thoughtful design. By upcycling what we discard, Paivand invites society to look back at waste. Hidden within it could be totes, scrunchies, and even empowerment.