Maximus Elephant Paper

Maximus is a paper-making firm based in Kegalle, Sri Lanka, near the Millenium Elephant Foundation elephant orphanage.

The Sri Lankan elephants produce 100 kg of dung per day and Maximus founder, Thusitha Ranasinghe discovered that this cellulose-rich substance makes an ideal raw material for paper products. Maximus now make a range of products using their elephant-dung paper which helps to draw attention to the plight of the Sri Lankan elephant, which competes for land with a growing human population.

Maximus donate a proportion of sales to the Millenium Elephant Foundation and their "Peace Paper" scheme helps rural people earn money by collecting dung from wild elephants in conflict areas. Hopefully this will create a mutual, beneficial relationship between humans and elephants.

Maximus elephant dung paper is the ultimate sustainable paper product. It is chlorine and acid free and is manufactured in an ecologically safe manner. The process takes around 13 days to complete and approximately 75% of the paper is made up of sanitised elephant dung with the other 25% being made up of rice paddy stubble, recycled office waste, cotton waste and fruit and vegetable fibres. The texture and colour of the paper varies with the elephant's diet, age and dental state. Once used the paper can be recycled again and is also bio-degradable.

Maximus won the BBC, Newsweek and Shell run World Challenge in 2006.

You can learn more about Maximus Elephant Paper here

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