Vadodara: Each night, as veteran actor Suresh Oberoi lies down to sleep, it is not on cotton or foam, but on a mat made from cow dung. Superstar Kareena Kapoor has carried a sleek handbag crafted from the same unlikely material. And when spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar lent his blessings to products made from it, what once seemed improbable began to signal a quiet, disruptive shift — where a centuries-old rural resource was being reinvented for modern living.At the centre of this story is Bhayli-based Gobarshala Organic Building Material LLP, which has secured a patent for its invention titled “Process for Manufacturing Biodegradable Fabric from Cow Dung Components.” The innovation transforms cow dung into a flexible, textile-grade fabric — opening up applications ranging from fashion and furnishings to eco-friendly construction.The development comes even as the firm is executing a major sustainable infrastructure project at a campus of Maharishi Mahesh Vedic University in Gudur, Andhra Pradesh. The project, part of a Vedic township being developed by Aishwarya Vignan Educational Society, uses cow dung-based materials for plaster, putty, paints, and even flooring — positioning the technology as a viable alternative to conventional, carbon-intensive construction inputs.“We wanted to create a material that is not just sustainable but also functional and scalable,” said Vipul Patel, a 53-year-old with a diploma in electrical engineering who began researching the concept in 2022 after years of working with fly ash-based products. His firm was formally set up in March 2024.Its appeal, however, goes beyond sustainability. Patel claims the material retains cow dung’s natural thermal properties — resisting heat transfer and helping regulate temperature. “It keeps you warm in winter and prevents heat from entering the body in summer,” he said, adding that even footwear and meditation mats made from the fabric are gaining popularity among wellness practitioners.“Basically, there is ancient wisdom in its applicability — one’s feet should stay warm, the stomach flexible, and the head cool for healthy living,” Patel said, explaining its wellness appeal.The innovation has already drawn attention from industry and cultural circles alike. At Conscious Collective 2025, an exhibition hosted in Mumbai, the firm showcased its products to architects and industrialists. Actor Kareena Kapoor, who visited the exhibition, took home a cow dung handbag, Patel said.The initiative has also received institutional support, with Nyrika Holkar, executive director of Godrej & Boyce (G&B), backing efforts to promote eco-friendly materials. Meanwhile, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has felicitated the team and endorsed products ranging from wallets to travel bags.Beyond fabric, Gobarshala has developed a suite of cow dung-based products, including fibre boards as plywood alternatives, biodegradable flower pots, mulching films, and construction materials such as bricks, plaster, and paints. Notably, cow dung bricks disintegrate into fertiliser at the end of their lifecycle, unlike conventional bricks that contribute to pollution.The company sources raw material from farmers and gaushalas while also training them — creating a decentralised rural value chain. Religious institutions such as ISKCON and various ashrams across states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam, are among its growing customer base.With more than 5,000 projects registered under the Indian Green Building Council in Gujarat alone, demand for sustainable construction materials is rising. Patel believes cow dung-based products could play a key role in this transition. “In fact, there are homes even in Vadodara that have started using plaster and paints made from cow dung,” he said.Head: Fabric of SustainabilityIt is made by sun-drying cow dung, grinding it to micron levelsIt is bound in layers using natural adhesives such as starch, gums and latexThe biodegradable material has a natural finish, capable of replacing leatherIt can be alternative for engineered wood products like MDF in several applicationsThe fabric is being used to manufacture products including curtains, sofa covers, wallets, handbags, belts, laptop sleeves and decorative wall piecesIt is also compatible with CNC cutting, laser engraving and UV printing, allowing designers to treat it much like conventional materials
