Aditya Aluminium’s ‘Project Basketry’ weaves sustainability into rural livelihoods

THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, NOVEMBER 19, 2025

Aditya Aluminium, a unit of the Aditya Birla Group’s Hindalco Industries Limited, is strengthening sustainable livelihoods and environmental stewardship through Project Basketry — a unique initiative launched under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in collaboration with the NGO Uphold Earth. The effort aims to create stable income opportunities for rural women by reviving and modernizing traditional bamboo craftsmanship across Laumal and neighbouring villages of the Sambalpur district.

Project Basketry is built around the core objective of empowering local artisans with essential skills and resources. As part of the initiative, bamboo saplings are being distributed to community members to promote bamboo cultivation as an eco-friendly and renewable resource. By enabling artisans to grow their own bamboo, the project secures a dependable supply of raw material, ensuring long-term livelihood sustainability and fostering a culture of self-reliance at the village level.

Speaking about this transformative effort, Head of Mining Business and Sambalpur Cluster Head, Kailash Pandey, said: “Project Basketry reflects Aditya Aluminium’s vision of inclusive growth rooted in environmental responsibility. By empowering rural women and reinvigorating traditional craftsmanship, the company is nurturing resilient communities built on skills, creativity, and self-reliance.”

To enhance craft-based capabilities, Aditya Aluminium Lapanga conducted a 40-day intensive hands-on training programme on bamboo handicraft making in Laumal village. The training, which commenced on September 12, 2024, focused on creating utility-driven bamboo products such as laundry bins, paper bins, and baskets. Experienced trainers guided participants through every step of the process — from preparing raw bamboo and conceptualizing designs to finishing products and establishing market linkages.

In the inaugural batch, 15 women artisans took part in the training programme. Its impact was both immediate and measurable: the participants collectively produced and sold 1,350 bamboo products, generating a revenue of Rs 1,71,870. This success demonstrated not only their improved craftsmanship and growing confidence but also the strong commercial potential of bamboo-based microenterprises at the grassroots level, added Mr. Pandey.

Buoyed by encouraging results, Aditya Aluminium’s CSR team has set an ambitious goal for the current financial year — to expand Project Basketry from 15 to 100 rural women across several villages in the Rengali Block. The long-term vision is to develop Rengali into a “Cluster of Bamboo Craft”, nurturing a self-sustaining ecosystem that supports local artisans, strengthens market access, and positions the region as a hub for eco-friendly bamboo products.

Beyond its livelihood impact, the initiative carries significant environmental value. Bamboo, a fast-growing renewable resource, enhances ecological sustainability by contributing to green cover, preventing soil erosion, and reducing dependence on timber. Through Project Basketry, Aditya Aluminium is championing a circular, sustainable model that harmonizes income generation with environmental conservation.

As a responsible corporate citizen committed to driving positive change, the Aditya Birla Group in Odisha reaches out to more than 5 lakh people, touching over 2 lakh lives across 128 villages. The Group’s CSR initiatives are carried out through the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, chaired by Rajashree Birla. Its vision is to contribute actively to the social and economic development of the communities in which it operates, building a better and more sustainable quality of life for vulnerable sections of society and enhancing the nation’s human development index. The Group’s CSR philosophy aligns closely with the UNSDG goals aimed at eliminating poverty and ensuring freedom from hunger.