Coconut shell-based handicrafts are pictured at a workshop in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

In Yangon, Myanmar, the workshop Gwat Gwat Handicraft showcases an array of creative products made from discarded coconut shells, showing that waste can be transformed into both art and utility.

Behind this initiative is Kyi Lae Tun, 37, a woman determined to turn everyday waste into sustainable creations. She started the business in 2019. "I first got the idea when I visited neighboring countries, where the handicraft industry was thriving," she recalled.

"I joined handicraft training courses, which gave me the foundation to start my own workshop," she said.

"This is my family business, and I run it together with my family members. We produce around 50 different coconut shell-based handicrafts, ranging from lamps, plant containers, and keychains to more intricate items," she said.

Her products are displayed and sold at the Myanmar Handicraft Center, which promotes traditional crafts and supports small-scale artisans across the country.

The center, opened in 2022 by the Small-Scale Industries Department under the Ministry of Cooperatives and Rural Development, showcases and sells a wide range of traditional products, including lacquerware, textiles, wood carvings, gems, bamboo and rattan items, coconut shell crafts, and other local creations.

"Our customers are mostly handicraft lovers, as well as restaurants and hotels looking for decorative items," Kyi Lae Tun explained.

"Since coconut shells are usually discarded as waste, we recycle them into something meaningful. They're natural and environmentally friendly," she said.

"Right now, we mainly sell to domestic customers. If we can reach export markets, small businesses like mine will have greater opportunities to grow," she said.

Some people admire the pieces but don't purchase them because handicrafts are not seen as essential items, she added.

Among the artisans is 71-year-old Aung Kyaw Oo, who has been making coconut shell-based products for about six years. "I enjoy making handicrafts because I'm passionate about this work," he said while polishing raw coconut shells into smooth surfaces.

"What I like most is that these products are natural and safe and each piece has its own uniqueness. I love transforming waste into something valuable. It depends on the creativity of the maker and the way users appreciate it," he added.

According to U Tun Lin Oo, deputy director of the Small-Scale Industries Department, coconut shell-based handicrafts are local, sustainable, and environmentally friendly products.

"Our country is focusing on developing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In this effort, coconut shell crafts are contributing as much as possible to the growth of MSMEs," he said.

To support artisans, the department conducts coconut shell craft training courses in major coconut-producing regions, including Tanintharyi, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Rakhine, and Nay Pyi Taw, as well as at the center, he said.

By turning discarded coconut shells into beautiful, functional products, artisans are not only preserving Myanmar's traditional crafts but also supporting small businesses and sustainable livelihoods, he added.

An artisan makes a coconut shell-based handicraft at a workshop in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

 

An artisan selects coconut shells to make handicrafts at a workshop in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)

 

A girl works at a handicraft workshop in Yangon, Myanmar, Aug. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Myo Kyaw Soe)