On May 16, the most important Buddhist festivities took place in Nepal, celebrating the birth of the historic Buddha, his enlightenment and his nirvana, Buddha Jayanti. Nine percent of Nepalese are Buddhists. The faithful then dress in white, avoid consuming non-vegetarian products, go to pray and light candles in temples where colored prayer flags float in the wind.
For Ang Dolma Sherpa, it was an opportunity to hang her own unique, fully biodegradable prayer flag. The fruit of a nine-year adventure that began in 2011 at the funeral of his father. During the cremation, a strange smell of burning plastic wafts through the air. “I was confused, I didn’t understand where the smell was coming from. Until I realized it was from the khadas [foulards de cérémonie utilisés comme salutation ou offrande] which each guest had brought and which had to be burned so as not to attract bad luck and because nothing should be brought back from a funeral”, recalls Ang Dolma Sherpa.
Back at home, her mother explains to her that the khadas are no longer made of cotton but of synthetic material, hence the nauseous and polluting fumes. A shock for the young woman who decides, on a whim, to launch a prototype of biodegradable khada in natural fiber, for her personal use.
“I had no business expertise and didn’t know much about the environment. I didn’t even know who Greta Thunberg was. But I could see and smell the pollution in Kathmandu,” she explains. Previously, Ang Dolma gently made fun of his Buddhist mother and her frugal life, not throwing away any vegetable peelings, recycling even the smallest jar, carefully keeping all the khadas in boxes classified by size and color.
Microplastics in the air
A philosophy that she finally decides to adopt and which becomes the engine of her company, Utpala Craft, founded in 2020: it manufactures and sells khadas and lungtas (literally wind horse). These prayer flags, used en masse by Buddhists, are made from cheap synthetic materials like Nylon and Polyester. Problem, they are systematically burned once used, releasing microplastics into an already very polluted air, especially in the capital. In March 2021, the Nepalese government was forced to close schools there for several days for this reason. A first in the country’s history.
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