Start-Ups with innovative and sustainable business models

Sustainability and environmental friendliness are now essential to our continued existence as a result of climate change breaking monthly temperature records and plastic pollution growing into a massive issue. People are starting to alter their purchasing patterns and are leaning toward cruelty-free goods produced with high-quality, sustainable materials that do not hurt the environment. People are more conscious of the harm that non-sustainable items cause to the environment.

According to the Capgemini Research Institute, the social responsibility, environmental effect, and inclusive of a product or service caused almost 79 percent of consumers to alter their purchase behaviour.

Here we bring to you a list of home-grown start-ups that are changing the dynamics of our industry by making sustainable and eco-friendly products.

Boon: A water tech start-up, Boon aims to challenge the status quo of drinking water with technology and innovation. Currently, plastic bottled water is damaging the environment and health while existing water purifiers are extremely inefficient and reduce the mineral content in water. Boon’s water purifiers are up to 4 times more efficient than standard purifiers and can have up to 3 times more minerals. Boon, with one of its innovative systems, the Zero Mile Water Concept, creates a safe and affordable circular system to purify and pack drinking water in glass bottles and remove plastic bottles from the pollution chain.

Katharos Foods: A leading plant-based vegan cheese brand in India. Katharos Foods sells vegan cheese made of nuts, soy milk, and watermelon seeds. It deals with vegan alternatives to dairy cheese. The cheese gives the same experience without hurting an animal. In the year 2021, Katharos Foods was awarded the “best vegan cheese in India” by PETA.

uppercase: Young travellers can choose from a line of environmentally friendly travel accessories that uses recycled plastics and doesn’t contain any potentially harmful chemicals. The company’s goal is to produce stylish, environmentally friendly bags that appeal to young people who consider their purchasing. uppercase is the first travel accessory company in India to fulfil both international product standards and recycled content certification with their sustainable travel gear, which includes GRS (Global Recycle Standard)-certified bags. These requirements cover chemical limitations as well as social and environmental practices.

Bambrew: Greentech startup Bambrew offers substitutes for e-commerce mailer bags, food packaging in the F&B business, pouches and foldable cartons in the FMCG industry, and PVC in the pharmaceutical industry using its patented technology. uses internally created sustainable materials to create these goods. More than 1,000 tonnes of plastic have already been removed from the supply chain thanks to it. Bamboo, sugarcane, and seaweed are used in the eco-friendly packaging items created by Bambrew. Tribes in Assam, Tripura, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka are the startup’s primary suppliers of raw materials.

Beco: This startup produces biodegradable and ecological substitutes for single-use goods like dinner napkins, toilet paper, facial tissues, tissue rolls, and more. 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 immediate care of its packaging, using recycled and craft paper instead of plastic to wrap items.