This episode was originally aired on February 18, 2020
Today we revisit an episode where we talk with co-founders Sujata and Taniya (Su and Ta) who decided to quit their well-paying jobs and put their hearts and souls into spreading love through traditional hand-woven sarees. They have a family of 1400 weavers. The process of weaving every saree is a celebration of centuries of tradition and the authenticity of Indian arts. Suta strives to preserve the art of generational craftsman, guaranteeing them a living wage and bringing their products to the urban markets. Learn about their journey in this episode.
The materials used to make a product is as important for sustainability as the practices around it. In this series, we discuss and discover various sustainable materials that have been developed. These materials could later be used in place of their more harmful and commonly used counter parts. Today we re-air our conversation with Susmith Susheel and Zuzana Gombosova from Malai. This episode is a re-air from December 30, 2019
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Malai is a newly developed bio-composite material based on Bacterial Cellulose is grown on water from mature coconuts and natural fibers from the banana stem, hemp, and sisal. A duo of designers and material researchers Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Susheel have for the last 2 years have been based in Kerala where they continue building a pilot manufacturing unit and working on improving material properties and manufacturing processes. The essence of Malai is to find beauty in all natural and design materials that can come from nature and safely return to it.
Laminated film is used in a wide range of flexible packaging applications such as food pharma, personal care products, etc. and then disposed off. The annual production of laminates in India is expected to be over 1 million MT with a market growth rate of 15-20%. These are used in your potato chip bags, candy wrappers and varied every packaging solutions. Waste generated from laminates has no productive value as it is expensive to recycle and thus ends up in landfills. Ricron Panels recovers this non-recyclable waste and uses its proprietary technology to convert this waste into forms of sheets that are used as a building material. It creates a product that is a substitute for plywood and in fact at some ways even better. It is waterproof, rust proof, termite resistant, fire – retardant, heat resistant and best of all it is recyclable. It creates a circular economy. In this episode, we learn about this solution from the co-founder Rahul Choudhary of Ricron Panels where he talks about the process and motivation to found this business.
Join us on his journey, especially with our sustainable house underway.
This episode is a re-air from February 4, 2020
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It was the day of Makara Sankranti, an ancient Indian festival marking the end of the winter solstice, celebrated by bathing in the sacred waters of the river Ganges. On that cold winter morning in 2015, Ankit Agarwal, founder of Phool Co took his friend Jakub, who was visiting him from the Czech Republic to see Ghats of the River Ganges. They watched as truckloads of temple flowers were being dumped in the river, and at that very moment, they saw sunlight hit the water and an oily chemical film float onto the surface of the water. Ankit struggled to explain to Jakub, why a river so revered was ignored and polluted and why he couldn’t do anything about it. Ankit visited the temples the next to assess and understand the magnitude of the problem. That day he decided to be the change to create a movement. He founded Phool Co and became the genesis of the ‘flowercycling’ technology. Through innovation, they began to offer products made from temple flowers.
We talk to Shruti Ashok, the founder of Inai. Inai is a creative space, where timeless leather pieces are crafted using upcycled Italian leathers, handmade by skilled Indian artisans in Madras, India. The designs are made to serve a specific purpose — a bag for everyday living, new adventures, emotional milestones and so much more. ‘Inai’ is a Tamil word, derived from ‘Inaippu’ which translates to ‘connection’. – you to connect with what you buy. Inai aims to inspire people to treasure and value the products they consume and the stories behind them.
We speak to Mayura Davda Shah the founder of MAYU, a sustainable luxury lifestyle brand which promotes a conscious way of life. Designed in New York with fish leather and vegan materials sourced from Europe she crafts goods for the betterment of our people and planet. Learn how waste can be used to create a luxury premium accessories brand. In fact, L’Officiel placed as one of the top 5 sustainable brands to watch out for along with Stella McCartney.
Co-founders and runners Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami ran through 3-4 pairs of sneakers every year. They realized that the soles were still in good condition though the uppers were worn out. They refurbished them into trendy footwear for sale and slippers for donation. In fact they have donated half a million slippers since 2016. Listen to learn how Green Sole is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable.
We talk with co-founders Sujata and Taniya (Su and Ta) who decided to quit their well-paying jobs and put their hearts and souls into spreading love through traditional hand-woven sarees. They have a family of 1400 weavers. The process of weaving every saree is a celebration of centuries of tradition and the authenticity of Indian arts. Suta strives to preserve the art of generational craftsman, guaranteeing them a living wage and bringing their products to the urban markets. Learn about their journey in this episode.
Co-founder Rahul Choudhary of Ricron Panels talks about the motivation and the process of converting toothpaste and candy wrappers into a great cost-effective substitute for plywood and MDF. Join us on his journey.
How does having a child change life perspectives? We talk to co-founders Anamika Sengupta and Biplap Dutta who decided to raise him in a plastic-free world. They designed and created earth-conscious products to raise a child who lives in co-existence with nature. They envision a world where we and our children can have their basic rights to breathe pure without fear and live in a world that thrives naturally. They share these views and products with our listeners.
