Sometime around 2006 in Jabalpur, a few like-minded women started collecting used articles like footwear, pencils, colors, crayons, lunch boxes and surplus clothes from affluent people and distributing those among who needed them. Soon we realized that used and unused clothes were the biggest chunk of discarded stuff.

In 2016, after working for around a decade as a group of volunteers, we decided to formally register our group as an NGO named “RECYCLE TO SAVE RESOURCES FOUNDATION”. Our NGO aims at “Saving Resources and Empowering Women by reviving indigenous methods of fabric recycling and innovation in up-cycling.” We function as an NGO that is committed to the cause of Environment Conservation and Women Empowerment.

But when we started off, we had no previous experience and no model to follow. So, we devised certain stages to carry out the entire process. We refer to this working model as “Protocol for Small Scale Fabric Upcycling Unit”. We started collecting loads of unwanted material from people.

The collected material is segregated as “Fabric Fit for REUSE” and “Fabric Fit for UPCYCLING”. The scrap that is left is collected by the Solid Waste Management System of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation and goes to Power Generation Plants.

Our mission is to “Save Resources and Empower Women by reviving the traditional methods of fabric recycling and innovation in up-cycling.”

• To save resources by following the five R’s; Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Restore and Replenish.
• To empower women, especially from the marginalized section of society through training and skill development.
• Achieve social justice through awareness drives.
• Work towards holistic, sustainable, social, economic and ecological development.