#WorldEnvironmentDay2022: Startups Towards Greener Future

In the last few years, climate change has only intensified. Greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities leading to an alarming rise in global temperatures. Since human actions are causing irreversible damage to the environment, there is an urgent need to adopt corrective measures in order to safeguard the planet. 

“We must come together to align our strategies to shape a circular economy and improve the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profits, thereby transitioning towards a green sustainable future — energy-efficient and low on emissions,” states CP Gurnani, Managing Director and CEO, Tech Mahindra.

Why A Dedicated Day?

World Environment Day highlights the need to pay the required attention and it also celebrates the innovations which are being done by disruptive startups. Enterprises are launching new products, adopting restorative measures and are encouraged to take on sustainable and environment-friendly initiatives. 

Ankit Kedia, Founder, and Lead Investor, Capital A, shares, "Climate change is going to impact us all, irrespective of location, the field of operations, or any other considerations.  At Capital A, we have launched a $10 million fund ‘Evolve’ exclusively to support promising EV OEM start-ups as well as the companies involved in building charging, swapping, management, and battery technologies segments. Our vision is to help establish an EV ecosystem in India that will not only effectively help in the evolving domestic EV market, but also in India’s emergence as a global clean mobility powerhouse."

Nidhi Ojha, Co-founder Premium Bionaturals jots down some of the most common and easiest ways brands use to encourage sustainability- by providing customers incentives on returning the bottles, donating a certain percentage of their profits towards a not-for-profit organisation, ecofriendly packaging, biodegradable and plant-powered ingredients, sourcing locally to reduce the carbon footprint that comes along with transportation, practising sustainable work environment such as the correct form of waste disposal etc. and promoting the addressing of the environmental concerns are some more ways that personally showcases the brands’ own beliefs on the subject.

We all must realise that the environment is no one’s property to destroy — it is everyone’s responsibility to protect it. “The startup ecosystem is now moving to include sustainability, both environmentally and socio-economically, as part of its core offerings. While discussing its operational practices, Nishith Rastogi, Co-Founder and CEO, Locus mentions, “Technology solutions such as Locus strive to bring sustainable change to the logistics space by optimising last-mile operations. The adoption of logistics technology is one of the quickest and most practical ways for attaining sustainability, rightfully being prioritised by companies and nations across the world.”

Startups Working Towards Greener Future

In India, every year, more than 20 million 2 wheelers are sold. The rising temperatures and vehicular pollution, in addition to the increasing fuel costs, have necessitated the faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). While the government is making efforts both in terms of policy push and infrastructure, we need to wake up to the reality of climate change and embrace sustainable mobility.

Plantas, which ensures all the packaging material used is either recyclable or biodegradable. "Also, soon Plantas products will be packed in almost 100 per cent biodegradable packing. "We also make sure that from the procurement of raw materials to processing to the final product, every step goes through a stringent, earth-friendly, and quality control process to ensure there is no trace of synthetic and harmful ingredients that may cause pollution in the environment in any manner," assures Gautam Dhar, Managing Director and CEO, Plantas.

“The theme of this year’s environment day is Only One Earth and we must come together to make efforts to make our planet clean and green for generations to come. At BLive we are driving awareness and encouraging people to shift to sustainable mobility,” shares Sandeep Mukherjee,  Co-founder and COO, BLive. 

Today more and more companies are adopting green logistics to reduce carbon footprints. Climate-smart supply chain planning will help logistics companies to look for more sustainable resources. 

Prasad Sreeram, Co-founder and CEO, COGOS, “As per the reports by NITI Aayog and RMI, by 2050 India can save around Rs 3.11 lakh crore worth of fuel and reduce 10 gigatonnes of CO2 by implementing clean and sustainable transportation practices. Logistics players should keep in mind that embracing sustainability not only helps to reduce the environmental impact but also helps to improve the corporate image of the company."

Similarly, Stuti Kothari, Founder, WishCare shares how in the personal care market, sustainability can no longer be optional. Consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z are shifting towards making sustainable choices and consuming products which have a less harmful impact on the environment and society. "Our primary goal is not just to deliver harmful chemical-free and safe products, we are equally concerned about the environment and hence follow a clean and conscious approach. Furthermore, all our product packaging is eco-friendly and recyclable. We are also plastic positive, that is we recycle more plastic than we consume.”

As future shapers of the nation’s economy, startup founders should make a long-term vision to incorporate a sustainability plan.

The ‘World Environment Day’ is a reminder that we should not just give back but restore planet earth to its original form. Companies are thriving and working on green initiatives to drive sustainability that will be able to provide equitable and inclusive growth opportunities.