Transforming Agricultural Waste To Sustainable Textile, Twenty Three Years Old's Enterprise Is Preventing Agricultural Waste Burning

NITI Aayog, through its initiative in collaboration with the United Nations, has come forward with the fourth edition of #WTIAwards2019 to recognise the efforts of women entrepreneurs who are challenging conventions and playing a pivotal role in #TransformingIndia. If you are one of those women entrepreneurs disrupting the status quo, get yourself identified by NITI Aayog by clicking here. Last day to register for the #WTIAwards2019 is 17th November 2019.

Shikha Shah is a trailblazer. Not only is she the first woman in her family to leave home in the pursuit of a career but the career that she pursued went on to take the form of an enterprise. Through her enterprise, she enables the transformation of agricultural waste into sustainable textiles, neatly solving the dual problem of textile pollution and agricultural waste burning.

The textile industry is the second biggest polluter on the planet. Shikha’s Canva Fibre Labs converts plant stems and agricultural waste into a sustainable and functionally superior textile. This, Shikha says, is a good alternative to cotton: “It uses less water than cotton. It doesn’t require pesticides or insecticides like cotton, and improves soil health.” The fibre is more durable than cotton, naturally anti-bacterial, all-weather accommodating, UV-resistant, and soft. On the flip side, farmers also benefit. Instead of burning their agricultural waste – a major contributor to air pollution — they can sell it for a supplementary income.

Shikha’s enterprise has earned appreciation from the Ministry of Textile, as well as from IIM-Ahmedabad, Gujarat University and other institutions. Over the next five months, Shikha plans to expand her textile production capacity by four times. Given that she is only 23 years of age, Shikha is a prime example of what young women with sufficient gumption and imagination can achieve if only they are given the opportunity.

To conclude, if you are one such woman entrepreneur or you know one of such women entrepreneurs playing a significant role in #TransformingIndia through their remarkable enterprises, don’t forget to get their names identified at NITI Aayog’s #WTIAwards2019. Click here!