Mumbai startup seeks to combat plastic waste with biobased bamboo and corn products

In Mumbai, a start-up is producing biodegradable, everyday items like kitchen towels and trashbags from bamboo and corn starch to help combat plastic waste in the populous country.

Punit Batra, Aditya Ruia, Anuj Ruia, and Akshay Varma founded Beco in 2017 after participating in beach cleanups in Mumbai.

“We were overwhelmed by the never-ending stretches of waste on these beaches, and that’s when we got talking. Initially, we didn’t give too much thought to this. But Aditya was relentless. He got in touch with Akshay and soon we began our journey to create Beco,” Batra, who is also marketing manager tells YourStory.com.

Akshay, a material sciences major, determined that bamboo pulp and corn starch-derived polymers would be the best feedstocks for their products. They began by selling at farmers markets and exhibitions. “Our products were selling like hotcakes,” Punit says. Beco’s products have now expanded to over 1,500 stores in Mumbai.