India is drowning under a mountain of garbage. How much waste do we create in a day? According to reports, India generates 1.43 lakh tonnes per day of municipal solid waste. Read that again. Of this, about 80% is collected and only about 25% is processed. The rest? Thrown in landfills to rot for hundreds of years. Isn’t it the government’s job to make sure this doesn’t happen?  What can we do at an individual level? 

Meet Beco: a brand that offers eco- and pocket- friendly range of home products. 

In conversation with one of the founders, Aditya Ruia, we bring you the inspiring story of Beco. 

Be-Eco 

Plastic waste is one of the fastest growing wastes today. Take a look around and you’ll find heaps of plastic garbage lying around. From polythene bags to plastic straws to plastic disposable containers- we’re surrounded. We all know how bad single-use plastic is for the environment. Even our oceans are not spared by plastic pollution. A trip to clean up the beach in Mumbai motivated Aditya, Anuj and Akshay to take action. The idea of cutting down on single-use plastic and building something that was 100% eco-friendly, led to the creation of Beco.

Eco-friendly Range of Home and Kitchen Products.

Beco is the answer to single-use plastic products. Their products include garbage disposal bags, tissue rolls, reusable kitchen towels, facial tissues and other kitchenware. The Mumbai-based company uses plant-based raw material which includes bamboo polymer. The company strives to minimize the waste generated during the manufacturing process too. The byproducts generated when making tissue paper out of bamboo are also reused to make toothpicks. If that wasn’t cool enough, even the packaging of their products is done with recycled paper. Long live the 3 holy R’s:  Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Tackling Challenges Left, Right, Centre

Running a startup is no easy feat. The journey is riddled with challenges that hit you from every direction be it vendors, suppliers or competitors. According to Aditya, what helped him overcome these hurdles was to create a lighthouse of principles and work towards completing it one by one. As an entrepreneur in-charge of many things, staying organized is important. How does one do that? The best way, as Aditya advises, is by creating a to-do list for the week/month and keeping a track of goals to be achieved. 

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Advice For Young Entrepreneurs 

Important information ahead. Young Founders reading this, kindly note. 

According to Aditya, identifying the gaps in the market is the first step for any young entrepreneur who is just starting out. Next comes, creating a niche for yourself. Grasping such opportunities is essential to build your brand. In the early stages of the product launch, obtaining feedback from customers and industry folks alike should not be overlooked. Customer is King, after all. Customer interaction, especially for a new brand is a key step. How can that be achieved? Getting feedback and suggestions is a great way to build a relationship with your customers. Aditya’s word of advice is to talk to them directly, foster loyalty and slowly build a community that believes in your values.  

A Recipe For Success

"Changing consumer behavior without changing consumer habits." is Beco’s motto of success. They are here to remind us that acquiring sustainable habits does not mean bringing a drastic change in your routine. What it requires is this: choose wisely, shop consciously. The alternatives are there and we need to pick them. For a better present, for a better future.