During our summer learning mobility in Madeira, supported by the Erasmus+ programme, we participated in a practical Sustainable Craft Workshop. The main focus of the workshop was the use of environmentally friendly materials and the possibility of transforming production waste into new and useful materials.

During the workshop, we were introduced to Malai (coconut leather), a material made from bacterial cellulose using waste from the coconut industry, particularly coconut water. Instead of being discarded, this waste is used to produce a new, durable and flexible material. Malai is plastic-free and compostable.

In the practical part of the workshop, we made card holders from Malai and learned a hand-stitching technique. This allowed us to see in practice how waste from one production process can become a raw material for creating new products. It is a good example of applying circular economy principles and using resources more sustainably.

This experience was particularly interesting for us in connection with Craft Depo’s environmental education activities. We are now considering how a similar approach could be applied in our educational programmes and creative workshops: which environmentally friendly and secondary materials we could use, how practical activities could demonstrate their reuse potential, and how participants could be introduced to the principles of the circular economy.

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