Sustainability Champions of India

India, the 5^th largest economy in the world is also working tirelessly in the field of sustainability. There are several environmental sustainability startups in India that are working towards addressing various environmental challenges. The Indian government is also contributing in the growth and development of startups for social and environmental goals. Here are a few examples:

ZunRoof:

The greatest on-grid solar solutions are being offered by ZunRoof, a leading solar energy startup in India, with a focus on the residential solar market. With its primary activities currently in the Delhi NCR region, the four-year-old firm is fast growing in other regions. According to the press announcement from the company, “out of the 1805 solar net metres installed in Delhi, ZunRoof has installed more than 300 solar net metres, claiming the top spot as an individual contributor to the residential adoption in Delhi-NCR region.”

ZunRoof has so far installed 1000 solar rooftops in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara in order to assist 1000 homes in Gujarat in switching to solar power. According to a corporate release, the solar market is significantly divided into commercial, residential, and industrial scales, with projects varying greatly in size and complexity. In particular, the residential solar market is particularly difficult to break into because each customer needs to be informed about the solar setup and the viability of installing a solar energy harvesting device on the roof.

Ather Energy

In 2013, Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain launched this Indian electric vehicle business. The Ather 450X and the Ather 450 Plus are two electric scooters made by Bangalore-based Ather Energy. Additionally, it has built Ather Grid, a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations.

Just last month, the manufacturer of electric two-wheelers revealed raising USD 128 million (about 991 crore) from the Strategic Opportunities Fund (SOF) of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL), Hero MotoCorp, and additional investors, according to a press statement from Ather Energy. The company stated that it intended to utilise the money to increase its retail network, expand its manufacturing facilities, and invest in R&D and charging infrastructure.

Proklean

Technology company Proklean develops ‘Green Chemistry’ goods to promote change in businesses and households. Our ability to provide non-toxic and biodegradable solutions that assist our customers in reducing the usage of hazardous chemicals and pollutants is made possible by the exclusive and patented technological platforms we have built. Every innovation at Proklean is driven by the guiding principle of “Green Chemistry That Delivers,” which helps our team reimagine what being truly green entails. We are setting a new standard that confronts green-washing practices that promote the frequently superficially greener status quo with our inexpensive, environmentally friendly solutions across industries and for household requirements.

Their customers are effectively reducing their carbon footprint while realizing cost savings because to Proklean’s leadership in leading the way to a clean tomorrow.

Carragreen

The creators of Carragreen, an eco-friendly firm that received Rs 50 lakh in funding at Shark Tank India in 2021, are Surabhi Shah and Chetna Shah. The 2018-founded business with headquarters in Indore creates biodegradable stationery and provides packaging options. The retailer Carragreen offers products including perforated biodegradable boxes that can be turned into spoons and plates as well as pencils, pens, monthly calendars, and calendars. It has customers like Haldiram and has a strong B2B model.

By composting organic garbage and recycling dry trash, Telangana-based business garbage Ventures India offers waste solutions for housing societies and corporate workplaces. This for-profit company, which Roshan Miranda and Rob Whiting founded in 2012, is altering paradigms in solid waste management by enhancing value to stakeholders worldwide.

The firm says that it may minimise trash generated immediately (in the workplace or society) by up to 90% and leave a small environmental footprint. Its R&D team has created a method for managing organic waste that is scientific, fly- and odor-free, and creates high-quality compost as a result. Additionally, the business offers a free piece of the compost for use in your own garden. The Waste Venture India team also increases employee and resident knowledge of recycling, composting, and other green efforts while promoting better waste management. The firm was one of the first in Hyderabad to offer a digital doorstep recycling pickup service. The business has prevented more than 3,000 tonnes of garbage from Indian dumpsites since late 2013.

Plastic Free: Beco

Beco, a consumer goods firm with headquarters in Mumbai, was established in 2018. The company makes sustainable and biodegradable substitutes for single-use products like dinner napkins, toilet paper, facial tissues, tissue rolls, and more. Beco (Be Eco), a company founded by Aditya Ruia, Anuj Ruia, and Akshay Varma, sells goods for the kitchen, home, and personal care.

The firm makes tissue, straws, toothpicks, cotton balls, and other SKUs using biodegradable and compostable raw materials like bamboo and corn starch. The company also takes close care to its packaging, using recycled and craft paper instead of plastic to wrap items.

Banyan Nation

One of the first vertically integrated plastic recycling businesses in India, Banyan helps international brands use more recycled plastic rather than raw plastic. Our unique plastic cleaning technique transforms gathered post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste into high-quality recycled granules called Better PlasticTM that are on par with virgin plastic in terms of performance and quality. Thousands of unauthorised recyclers are incorporated into our supply chain via our award-winning data analytics technology, which also assists cities in better trash management.

A first in India’s extremely unorganised, low-tech industry, Banyan’s unique plastic cleaning technique uses environmentally friendly detergents and solvents to remove inks, coatings, and other pollutants before supplying recycled granules to brands that are close to virgin grade. Banyan established circular economy leadership in the automotive and beauty sectors, respectively, that can be extended to other industries, by pioneering closed loop recycling initiatives with India’s top automaker (making new bumpers from discarded ones) and a major cosmetics company.

Padcare Labs:

In India, every year, about 113,000 tons of used sanitary pads are dumped in landfills. These are only the statistics of India for 1 year, the estimation of sanitary pads used in the entire world is very hard to imagine. (The Indian Express, 2021). There are biodegradable sanitary pads available in the market, but the majority of the pads used by menstruators are made out of plastic. Conventional sanitary pads are 90% plastic, which along with their wrappers, wings and adhesives each add some 2 g of non-biodegradable plastic which sums up to the equivalence of four plastic bags. This waste is harmful for the environment and takes an estimated 500 to 800 years to decompose (Arena et al., 2016). Their internal counterparts, nonorganic tampons, are only 6% plastic (0.36g), but most applicators are 100% non-recyclable plastic (Notman, 2021), each adding 2 to 3g of plastic to the environment. We need technology and innovation to solve this global environmental problem.

A start-up based in the city of Pune is Padcare founded by Ajinkya Dhariya when he first realized the harmful environmental degradation caused by sanitary napkins/pads in 2018. This is a startup that is working on social as well as environmental sustainability to save the planet as well as improve the lives of the people working in the waste management sector. The startup has developed the world’s first sanitary napkin disposal recycle system, a technology called 5D technology which is a chemo-mechanical process patented to recycle used sanitary napkins/pads which are separated into harmless cellulose and plastic. Cellulose is used in the packaging and paper industry and plastic can be redesigned and reused for other applications.

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