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Small businesses in India are switching to ecological packaging amid the latest fines and complaints from watchdogs against e-commerce giants who use too much plastic in their packaging.

Small businesses in India are switching to ecological packaging amid the latest fines and complaints from watchdogs against e-commerce giants who use too much plastic in their packaging.

The first is a business called TreeWear, which sells organic deodorants and hand sanitizers that are housed in paperboard tubes, allowing them to easily be recycled.

Next is House of Folium, an enterprise selling eco-friendly cutlery including forks, spoons, bowls, and plates made from sugarcane pulp that naturally decomposes over time.

House of Folium creator Vijay Lakshmi explained to The Hindu:

“Many of us rely heavily on food delivery apps, especially during the pandemic when we cannot step out. The amount of plastic that is used in the logistics is unacceptable. That is why we need to make the greener switch; we have seen a gradual change happening in Visakhapatnam where home-chefs are consciously making the choice to use eco-friendly cutlery.”

Pidi in Chennai is another small business to get a shoutout in the article. Run by Rennee Saradha, she makes steam-cooked gluten-free rice dumplings and serves them in wrapped-up palm leaves, adding to the authentic feel while reducing the need for wasteful packaging.

Although prices will be high for many of these products at first, I can’t wait for prices to fall and products to become more readily available as people start to place more importance on environmentalism.


Joe is passionate about environmentalism and the effect it has on our planet. He’s been a vegetarian for 10 years and is very strict about recycling in his apartment. As well as writing, he likes to spend time singing, playing the guitar, and defending pineapple on pizza.

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