Raksha Bandhan, one of the most celebrated, awaited festivities in India, signifies the bond of protection and care shared between siblings. The festival of embracing relationships, the festival of spreading love and goodwill all around, Raksha Bandhan is an affair celebrated with all joy and glee amongst Indians where sisters tie the rakhi around their brother’s wrist, a pious thread symbolic of their well-wishes, long life, and healthy being. The ritual has always been traditionally followed with all the charms, energy, and determination, three-folding the festive vibes. As grand as Raksha Bandhan is celebrated, the after-effects of it are as disturbing as one can imagine. Millions of rakhis, tied with all the love, are made out of plastic and synthetic materials, which when dumped after the ritual add to the already piled up mountains of plastic pollution. The humongous non-biodegradable wastes further harm the environment, adding to disastrous factors like climate change.
What has become the need of the hour has not been given the heed it needs to recover the damage. The plastic filth is increasingly covering the space on the earth, merging into the rivers, the food chain, the air, and nature, damaging lives and livelihood. This imbalance in the ecosystem needed to be addressed. Ergo, knowing about the fact that Indian festivals’ by-products are one of the contributors, made Mr. Nitin Jain, CEO & Founder of The Indibni Group, Jaipur, could not hold back and got himself into finding a solution to turn Raksha Bandhan from an eco-harmful to an eco-friendly festival. After getting into rigorous, in-depth research, the team came out with the world’s first-ever Seed Rakhi, a solid alternative to plastic inorganically made rakhis.
The fact that every year 620 million non-biodegradable rakhis are dumped in waste, generating 1.18 billion tonnes of carbon footprints on the earth. The fact that plastic pollution is shattering the environment, and breaking the symphony of life, all led to the establishment of Seed Rakhi®, a sustainable initiative of The Indibni Group, projected in the year 2018 with an aim to turn the grand festivity of Raksha Bandhan into an eco-friendly celebration.
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As it is wisely said, a thought of change when it gets hands of determination brings out the best for the world out of there. After two years of hard and collective effort, made in collaboration with local artisans and craftswomen from self-help groups and NGOs, the ethical Seed Rakhi got innovated and changed the scenario of the celebration of Raksha Bandhan entirely. Made from naturally-dyed cotton, the upcycled, hand-crafted rakhis are embedded with indigenous seed, which when sown, grows into plants and vegetables.
“The idea is never to scale back on the celebration of our favorite festival. Seed Rakhi, as an initiative, brings into sync the traditional custom of tying rakhis and the objective of saving the mother earth. More than a campaign, it is a pledge we’ve taken to build a sustainable, greener future, probably with one rakhi at a time.” Nitin Jain, CEO & Founder, Indibni Group, said.
The basic concept of Seed Rakhi is themed around switching from ‘Use & Throw’ to ‘Use & Grow’ Seed Rakhi. A conscious and cooperative effort, Seed Rakhi focuses on nurturing the bond of siblings, and once the festivity is over, planting the seed which is ornamented on the rakhi, to contribute to the mission of protecting the environment. Following a sustainable design and fair trade approach, where an equal stake goes to the makers and buyers of it, Seed Rakhi aims to become an aid in the development of all its stakeholders.
1. Farmers – The Seed Rakhi® initiative uses cotton for its threads, sourced from farmers practicing organic farming, thus choosing a sustainable production method, helping them survive and revive their lands.
2. Artisans, Self-Help Groups, and NGOs – The brand connects with independent artisans from the villages of life, local craftswomen, and Self Help Groups and provides them with work opportunities, along with that, taking their art and showcasing it to the world.
3. Workshops & exhibitions – With the aim to spread awareness across the nation to adopt a sustainable lifestyle and celebrate an eco-friendly Rakha Bandhan, we organize workshops to educate children and locals about sustainability.
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“A bond of protection that is impactful and powerful.” The collaborative effort taken towards societal and environmental betterment has proved to have an everlasting, nature-positive impact.
Moreover, the brand has always initiated projects that have made people get more conscious of the need to grow greener on the earth. Every year, we come up with campaigns such as #NurturetheBond, #BeejBoteHai, #PledgetoProtect, #SowaSeed, and #RishteyRecycle, all revolving around the core seed of thought which is embracing relations and preserving the earth.
Since its inception, Seed Rakhi has co-created 1M+ rakhis. With a set mission and clear vision, the brand continues to create a better world with a sustainable skyline. Check the website to get more insights about this green initiative. Click here.
This Raksha Bandhan, we are asking you to opt for a greener celebration. We are asking you to opt for Seed Rakhi. You can check out their Seed Rakhi Festive Collection and have an eco-friendly celebration.
