Craftsman uses banana bark in his ecofriendly work

Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Craftsman Hangno is no environmentalist, though he felt concerned about environmental damage and widespread illegal logging in the country.

His small wooden handicrafts workshop uses less than three cubic meters of wood a month. But he was not able to chase away his concerned feelings until recently, when a friend told him he could use the bark from banana trees as a unique surface for his wooden crafts.

Wooden handicraft and furniture producers usually use teakwood because of its beautiful texture and lasting usage.

"With banana tree bark covering my wooden handicrafts, I no longer have to use expensive teakwood or other wood from tropical forests in Kalimantan as the main material for my products," Hangno said.

Now, he uses ordinary wood locally called kayu kampung or kampong wood, which is easily found anywhere, including in his neighborhood -- like jackfruit or durian trees, to create handicraft items like tissue boxes, pen holders, cardholders, jewelry boxes and photo frames.

Kampung wood is abundant and cheap.

Hangno said he bought kampong wood at only Rp 150,000 per cubic meter, much cheaper than the price of teakwood, which costs Rp 400,000 per cubic meter.

Since almost all kinds of kampong wood do not have a beautiful surface or texture, banana tree bark becomes useful as it creates unique patterns on its surface.

"The surface of banana tree bark is unique. In a way, it looks like a batik motif," he said.

The bark of banana trees is virtually useless, even though it can be easily found almost anywhere. In the past, villagers simply used it to tie their vegetables together, cropping them just before selling them to traditional markets.

For his handicraft work, Hangno needs the outer layer of the banana tree's bark. He usually buys dried banana bark from villagers in Bantul and Sleman regencies at Rp 200 per meter.

After being polished, the dried banana bark is then glued on the surface of his wooden handicrafts.

By using this method, Hangno makes his craftwork beautiful and affordable.

At the local market he offers a banana bark covered tissue box at Rp 35,000 while the teakwood one costs Rp 75,000 each.

Although he only began practicing the method half a year ago, his participation at the recent national exhibition of Indonesian handicrafts in Jakarta got him two orders from buyers in the United States and Europe. In July this year, the first shipment of tissue boxes to the United States should be completed.

The use of banana tree bark also marks Hangno's creative search for natural materials that people find useless but can be turned into something else. He also produces necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings and other ornaments out of coconut shells.

Hangno expressed optimism that more people will become aware of the need to protect the environment by choosing to buy handicrafts made only from environmentally friendly materials.