Alleviating single-use plastic in the fast food sector

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.

 Young Indian farmer with agronomist at banana field

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.

Ecodabba
“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

E SDG Icons 09

9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

E SDG Icons 12

12: Responsible consumption and production

UN Sustainable Development goal logo 13, visual of eye with world as it's pupil

13: Climate action

Read more insights

A day in the life of a recruitment consultant at SThree
12 September 2023

A day in the life of a recruitment consultant at SThree

If you want to know what it’s really like in recruitment, here are some honest insights from five members of our team

How to heal the heavy blow of a retiring workforce
12 September 2023

How to heal the heavy blow of a retiring workforce

What are the solutions to help your business and current staff cope with the retiring workforce – not just today but for the future?

Diversity of thought leads to better decisions: How to achieve diversity quotas in the engineering industry
04 September 2023

Diversity of thought leads to better decisions: How to achieve diversity quotas in the engineering industry

By rethinking recruitment practices and embracing a wider talent pool, businesses can pave the way for a more diverse workforce.

The STEM world is evolving, attitudes are changing – should we be panicking?
24 August 2023

The STEM world is evolving, attitudes are changing – should we be panicking?

The evolving global economic climate has triggered significant shifts in the concerns and priorities of STEM professionals, leaving some ...

Engineering skills aren’t really changing but job titles are
16 August 2023

Engineering skills aren’t really changing but job titles are

Yves Urban asks whether changing traditional job titles could attract more people to the engineering industry.

Net zero: are there enough engineers?
01 August 2023

Net zero: are there enough engineers?

Companies must leave no stone unturned in the hunt for green engineering talent

The next jobs boom will be in green tech
26 July 2023

The next jobs boom will be in green tech

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high.

Can we really ramp up net-zero manufacturing?
11 July 2023

Can we really ramp up net-zero manufacturing?

Companies are already sharing engineers as onshoring stretches the available talent

Why hourly rates for tech contractors are still rising 
29 June 2023

Why hourly rates for tech contractors are still rising 

Long-established sectors like banking and energy are snapping up IT professionals as digital transformation accelerates