Thai Saa-Paper Industry
"Saa" is the Thai word for mulberry tree which grows in particular in the Lanna region of northern Thailand as well as Laos and neighbouring countries. Saa paper is made from the bark of mulberry trees. The Saa-paper industry is located mainly in the North of Thailand in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Naan. Besides a few companies which produce and process Saa-paper in large-scale manufacturing operations, there are hundreds of small-scale, community-based enterprises and households which generate their income from this industry. It creates job opportunities for thousands of low-income bark collectors in the Thai-Lao border region and for the economically disadvantaged rural population. In total around 30,000 people live from the production, processing, and craft making of Saa-paper. Due to the general market situation for hand-made paper, small and medium-sized enterprises are experiencing heavy pressure from the larger producers with a real danger that these cottage industries will be forced out of business, endangering the livelihood of thousands of people, mostly from poorer families.

Saa-Paper Products
Saa-paper can be used for a variety of products such as writing and decorative paper (notebooks, greeting cards, wrapping, picture frames), handicrafts (lampshades, dolls, flowers, umbrellas) and specialist products (tea-bags, surgery gowns, book restoration paper). The Saa-paper industry has to cope with a number of environmental and occupational health problems stemming from the preparation, bleaching and coloring process. In particular the smaller home-based producers are not aware of the impacts or cannot afford investments in waste water treatment or high quality dyeing, nor in marketing environmentally friendly Saa-paper. Selling point for Saa-Paper: Environmentally friendly, social responsible, community-based handicraft and unique design. Hand-made and manufactured in Northern Thailand.

Promotion of Saa Paper
Promotion of a sustainable Saa-Paper industry and introducing environmentally friendly production processes is the objective of projects of DEQP and IPC1. One of the project activities was the promotion of Thai Saa-paper at this year's Paperworld in Frankfurt. The project is supported by the Thai-German Programme for Enterprise Competitiveness. The GTZ, Bangkok Office, had been commissioned by the BMZ (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) to implement this programme. The aim of the programme is to establish a platform for business relationships between importers, processors and producers who follow the principles of sustainable development, eco-efficiency, and responsible entrepreneurship.
 

Partners for a sustainable, environmentally friendly Saa-paper industry:

• Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP)
• Industrial Promotion Centre, Northern Thailand (IPC1)
• Department of Export Promotion (DEP)
• Department of Industrial Promotion (DIP)
• Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand (ACT)
• Craft Design Service Centre (CDSC)
• Office of SME Promotion (OSMEP)
• Thai Network for Profitable Environmental Management (Thai PREMAnet)
• German Technical Cooperation (GTZ)

For more Information:

• Project Factsheet
• Programme of Saa-Delegation Paperworld 2007
• Saa Infosheet
• Product Catalogue