How does poo become paper?

All paper is, in its most basic form, fibre pulp that is pressed and dried. As long as the poo is fibrous, it fits the criteria for suitable raw material for paper

Does it really contain dung?

Yes it does. As well as several other fascinating grass and plant material including jute, banana bark, pineapple leaves. The determining factor is the strength and length of the fibre. Once we have both characteristics, we have an ideal component for paper

How is this disinfected and cleaned?

The dung is washed under high pressure water and is boiled several times over to sterilize it completely.No chemicals are used in the process. The process of disinfecting follows age old wisdom, is natural and effective

Does the paper contain bacteria?

The paper has been lab tested and certified bacteria free; it matches food grade levels of safety

Is Elrhino paper archival/acid free?

Our paper is PH neutral; the PH measures varies between 7 and 8. It is both acid free and archival.

Is the paper rough?

The paper is as rough or as smooth as we make it. Products such as books, meant for writing on, are made smooth and provide a very pleasurable writing experience. Products such as bags are left with some texture to lend them a unique character. We take great pride in our ability to provide varying  textures depending on the functionality of the product

Does colour bleed on the paper?

The paper is 100% blot free. It has become a popular medium for artists using water colours, sketch pens, vegetable dyes,  block printing, just about any sort of medium and application

How does the paper become white if the dung is brown?

When the dung is put through many rounds of washing and boiling, it releases all its muddy brown colour and all we are left with are fibre threads. This fibre is combines with recycled white cotton waste to become white pulp with imperfect brown/blacks specks and strands. The visible specks on our paper is the dung showing its colour. On occasion, based on specific client requests, we also bleach the dung to remove its colour. As a normal practice however, we do not follow this method and discourage it amongst users.

Why is it expensive?

We work with limited resources in very far away places, using only our hands and some very minimal machine intervention. The money that you spend on Elrhino products goes towards spreading the word about the rhino, providing livelihoods for community members, as well as training and skill development. We use environmentally responsible processes including biodegradable plastic for packaging, and innovate constantly to give you the pleasure of owning a brand that is both unique, inventive and of the highest quality.

Can this be made in brighter colours?

Yes. Please contact us directly for customization or specific colour requirements

Can we make this paper from any animal poo, such as cows, or sheep or whatever animals I have plenty of access to?

No, the dung of these specific animals works so well because these animals eat long grass/branches and have a very weak digestive system, which means their poo contains a large amount of undigested plant fiber.  Any animal that digests its food well, and excretes smooth poo, is essentially leaving us nothing to work with