Handmade paper is our passion. We, Claire and Mark, founded Paper High (Eco Maximus' sister company) in 2002 after an amazing 3 year trip around the world meeting some amazing people and visiting incredible countries.

Paper High started in Nepal and India when we discovered the beautiful paper products that were being made there. When we returned to Asia we stopped off in Sri Lanka and discovered its wonderful handmade elephant dung paper.

Where the elephant dung paper comes from

The paper comes from a company in Sri Lanka called Maximus. The original Maximus operation is located next to the Millennium Elephant Foundation near Kegalle in Sri Lanka.

Maximus started with just seven employees producing paper from a small workshop on site. It didn’t take long to realize that the six resident elephants were a living, walking natural material source. They soon established that elephant dung was a perfect material to produce paper with - find out how the paper is made.

Raising awareness

Maximus are using the elephant dung paper to raise awareness of the tragic circumstances that surround the Sri Lankan Elephant. Its population is decreasing and they are running out of land as the human population grows.

 

Elephants in Sri Lanka are seen by the local population as a pest. They eat crops, damage land and houses and people are worried that they might get aggressive. Killings are not uncommon, both elephant and human.

 

By demonstrating how elephants can improve the socio-economic situation of people living in rural areas they hope it will create a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and elephants and protect the elephant population.

 

Project Peace Paper

 

Maximus' vision is to bring the local population and the elephants together through Project “Peace Paper”. In areas where there is conflict between humans and elephants they hope to create autonomous and self-sustaining re-cycling plants that make elephant dung paper from wild elephant dung.

Project Peace Paper has just built a new elephant dung handmade paper workshop right in the middle of elephant territory in central Sri Lanka. They used the services of a naturalist to advise them on how to build the workshop and how to ensure the elephants, the natural habitat and the workers can work together. They are employing from the local population so they can also see the elephant as a form of income rather than a pest. The locals can also earn extra money by collecting the elephant dung as Maximus pay them for every lump of dung collected.

Maximus won the BBC World challenge in 2006. The World Challenge is an award given to companies for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community whilst adopting a responsible approach.

 

By buying from the Eco Maximus elephant dung paper range you are supporting this valuable cause.

 

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