Today we produce over 78 million tonnes of plastic packaging globally, and only 14% is recycled. For four students in India, this challenge felt more exasperated during the pandemic as fast food consumption increased, and they witnessed the amount of single-use plastic they were consuming.
The team of four met at university and includes a diverse range of STEM skillsets ranging from chemical engineering and product management to food engineering and financial planning. They have used their skills to develop sustainable food packaging by using bagasse and sugarcane waste, creating a high-quality biodegradable product for the food industry.
The team is competing in the STEM category of the Global Innovation Challenge to join a community of change-makers. They also want to benefit from networking, peer to peer learning and be part of a global movement that increases impact.
“Our campus is based in eastern India, and we saw a lot of people eating out of leaves, using banana leaf and similar plants as plates. We thought if people on the street can make biodegradable containers, why can’t we create a biodegradable product in the food industry space that removes single-use plastic.” Bindu Sancheti, EcoDabba team member
UN Sustainable Development Goals
9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
12: Responsible consumption and production
13: Climate action
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