TEA
PAPER
PAPER
UPCYCLED TEA PAPER
In the UK alone, Tea waste generated each year is around 176000 Tonnes.
Four gms of Tea waste can create an A4 paper. Thus, Tea waste from the UK alone can be used to make about 44 billion A4 papers- That is, 220,000 Trees prevented from being felled!
Tea fibers are usually blended with a small amount of cotton rag to add strength to the resultant paper. Upcycled Tea paper can be made available in a variety of colors. The cotton rag imparts color onto the paper. Hence, by just changing the color of the cotton rag added, the paper color can be changed.
The process to make Paper from tea leaves is as follows-
1) Tea leaves are collected from tea gardens/ tea processing units.
2) The leaves are then cooked in water for 4-5 hours to remove impurities.
3) The cleaned residue is mixed with cotton rags or flax to add additional strength to the Paper.
4) The mixture then goes into a Hollander beater and is converted to pulp.
5) The pulp then passes through the roller and conveyor-based machinery to drain excess water.
6) The next process involves air-drying the sheets.
7) The final process is calendaring. Paper sheets are then calendared to make them smoother and writable. Calendaring involves interleaving many sheets with zinc-coated metal sheets and passing them under pressure, back and forth between two rollers.
🗑️ Zero Wastage Production- The production of Tea Paper generates Zero waste.
🌲Tree-Free Paper- Tea Paper is produced without a single tree cut. The Paper is produced from post-consumer tea waste, and cotton or Linen rags disposed of by the textile industry.
⚡Energy Saving- 70-80% energy savings over virgin pulp paper
