Recently,
with the ban on plastic bags, vendors at the marketplace complained that if plastic carry bags are being
banned, an alternate solution should be provided. It is this concern and poor
implementation of the ban that rendered it ineffective on earlier occasions.
But this time around, a company called Earthytude, which was founded by Marlon
Lobo and his wife, Geetanjali, have come up with a solution to answer the demand
of carry bags, without violating the plastic ban. What’s more, their products
have been given the green signal by civic bodies and market vendors and now,
ecograde, eco-friendlycarry bags made out of sugarcane waste are making their
way to you.
“Our products are now certified by the
central pollution control board of India under ISO 17088. So as per of
nation-wide plastic ban rules, our products are certified to be used,” says
Geetanjali, co founder of Earthytude.
Speaking about why they named their company Earthytude, Marlon
says that it stems from their belief that people need to be grateful for the
bounties we reap from earth and have to abide to the natural laws of nature and
its eco cycles and systems.“It’s high time we change our attitude towards
earth, she is our home, habitat and the only place we can survive as beings,”
says Marlon, who is also a chef.
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“Being a chef, my companies and I work very closely with the
food and hospitality industry of Goa. The tourism industry directly affects the
food and hospitality industry. People from all over the world come to
experience and enjoy the environment of Goa. Sadly, the environment of our
state is getting wrapped in plastic. Plastic carry bags and plastic straws are
the biggest pollutants in the world. Littering habits, consumerism and even our
industries have contributed to this pollution.,” adds Marlon.
Speaking about the aim behind Earthytude, they point out that
all their products, solutions and eco-friendly alternatives are an effort to
provide sustainable packaging and operational solutions to corporates without
being a hazard to the environment.
“Our intention is to up-cycle organic wastes and bi-products
from various industries into products that can be used as disposable packaging
solutions for our generation. As these products are made from organic waste,
they become part of the natural ecosystem when disposed. All our products are
100 per cent plant starch based without traces of petroleum based compounds or
plastic. They are 100 per cent biodegradable and in harmony with our natural
eco-system,” says Geetanjali.
Before going to this, they had spent time researching a solution
for plastic pollution for almost a year and a half.
Speaking
about the one and a half years of research that went into this, Geetanjali
reveals, “We came across many biodegradable plastic carry bags. But they were
still made of plastic; broken down toxic polymers are still carcinogenic and
can contaminate the ground water table. We needed to come up with a foolproof
solution.”
