Meerut Scissors is a pair of scissors made of recycled metal scrap by the microlevel industrial units run by a community in Meerut, North India. The community has been making the product for more than three centuries.
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Recycling from waste
Meerut Scissors are particularly used for garment making and other domestic uses. All parts of the scissors are pre-used in some other form. For e.g. the blades are made from recycled carbon steel sourced from scrap metal salvaged out of old railway rolling stocks,automobiles etc. The handles made of alloys, plastics etc. are prepared from other wastes such as old utensils. The first such scissors were made by Asli Akhun some 360 years ago. Unlike most other scissors, these scissors can be repaired and reused many a times. An idiom popular around Meerut refers to the quality and re-usability of these instruments as a testimony :Dada le, potaa barpe ("bought by the grandfather, (still) used by the grandson").
Geographic Indication tag
In January 2013, the product was recognized to qualify for its own Geographical Indication. It was the 164th among a list of such specially tagged commodity items in India. Until now, these scissors used to be produced in a variety of sizes ranging from six inches to 14 inches. They also had different price ranges from 20 Rupees to 500 Rupees. However, with the GI tags, the producers are encouraged to come up with some standard sizes and price levels.
The industry is well established around Meerut with 250 small-scale scissors-making units, employing 70,000 people directly and indirectly. While men makes the scissors, women add their share of the efforts by performing tasks that require handwork and pack the products. Even when the market is confined to domestic consumption, makers find it tough to meet the demand.