• Handmade in Nepal 
• Himalayan Lokta paper
• 3.5" tall x 3.5" wide 
• 5 feet long 
• Fair trade and ethically made

This item is from dZi (pronounced ‘zee’), a fair trade supplier that employs over 1,000 artisans in the Himalayan region. Their name comes from the traditional Tibetan dzi bead, which is believed to evoke positive spiritual benefits. dZi was established in 1990 and became a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation in 1994.

Eco-paper garlands are made with sustainably harvested Lokta paper made from the bark of the Daphne shrub that grows at elevations of 5,000 to 16,000 above sea level in remote areas of the Himalaya in Nepal. The raw fiber is hand-gathered by local villagers from sanctioned forests. The bark is soaked and boiled to soften, then ground into a watery pulp. This solution is mixed with water and sieved onto screens to create individual sheets of paper that dry in the sun. Natural and azo-free synthetic dyes are used to color the paper which can then be printed using typical silk-screen methods. Through this long and laborious process lokta-based craft products offer rural Nepalese people, often women, a much-valued source of income to provide for the needs of their families and communities. Designed exclusively by dZi Handmade.