Flowers are offered to deities as part of worshipping in many cultures. In India, flowers have a vital symbolic significance. They are used in generous amounts in religious ceremonies, important events, and temples, which keeps adding to a mountain of ultimately wasted flowers. Hindus, especially, consider dumping these flowers unholy, and hence this waste is offered to the waterways. However, the waste levels are so large that, according to a recent estimate, around 8 million tonnes of annual floral waste is dumped into the waterways in India. India is among the largest producers of flowers in the world, and some estimates even suggest that floral waste contributes to one-third of the total solid waste produced in the country.

Students from Aryabhatta College, New Delhi, identified this problem to develop Project Palaash aiming to use the floral waste from nearby temples to produce organic dyes while providing employment to women entrepreneurs from underprivileged backgrounds.

The team at Project Palaash collects the waste from the local temples, segregates them according to their colour, prepares the dye bath using the collected waste, dyes the fabric and packages the end products in paper bags. Wasted Marigold, Tea Leaves, Onion skins, Madder Roots, and Tesu Flowers are used to prepare the dyes. Any remaining waste is then sent for composting. For dyeing the fabrics, Project Palaash collaborates with another local NGO, 'STOP India', working to rescue, rehabilitate, and prevent women from trafficking, creating employment opportunities.

Their final dyed products are sold directly via intercollege festivals, handicraft outlets and exhibitions, and cultural fares.

By reusing the organic waste and keeping the material in the consumption chain for longer, Project Palaash aims at curbing water and soil pollution. 

Through working with NGO's the project facilitates employment opportunities and skill development training for victims of human trafficking. Project Palaash enables the students to become change agents while promoting sustainability in textiles.