Our Journey: Turning Plastic Waste Into Impact
From a simple trek to national recognition, we are on a mission to prove that waste is just a resource waiting to be used. Here is our story.
Our co-founder, Sonal Shukla, was honored to be invited as a speaker at TEDxVivekanandSchool. It was a wonderful platform to share our passion for sustainability and women empowerment.
We were thrilled to be featured in Punjab Kesari for our work in turning plastic waste into valuable products, especially after our participation in the G20 Startup20 summit.
Another feature from our time at the Startup20 summit, this time in the Hindustan newspaper. It's encouraging to see our mission of upcycling waste get this kind of media attention.
The Navbharat Times covered our story, highlighting how we are creating useful products from plastic waste. We are grateful for the support of the Startup India ecosystem.
Receiving a grant and mentorship from the CBC Foundation was a major milestone for us. This video captures that proud moment and reminds us to celebrate every step of this entrepreneurial journey.
Our co-founder Sonal speaking at the American Center in New Delhi. Completing the pre-incubation program with ACIR Nexus, a US embassy program, was an incredible learning experience.
The cohort from our 9-week pre-incubation program at ACIR Nexus. Being surrounded by so many innovative minds was truly inspiring and helped us grow.
A proud moment for us, being featured in the newspaper with the Honorable President and the Chief Minister of UP at the Global Investors Summit 2023.
Our co-founder was selected as one of 75 women entrepreneurs from India to meet dignitaries at the UP Global Investors Summit. This recognition means the world to us.
About Our Journey & Recognition
It wasn't overnight fame. Every newspaper feature and platform like the G20 Startup20 summit represents months of shredding, molding, and proving that recycled plastic is a viable material. We share these milestones to show that small choices, when repeated, lead to real, measurable impact.
How It All Started
Our journey began on a mountain trek where we saw more plastic than nature. It was disheartening, but instead of just feeling bad, we decided to act. We started Econscious as a small experiment, crafting tiny decor pieces from waste. Soon, we realised that to make a real difference, we had to think bigger. That is how our transition from hobbyists to a full-fledged startup happened.
Milestones in Our Mission
Building an eco-friendly startup in India has been a path of learning and persistence. We have been fortunate to receive support and recognition along the way:
- G20 Startup20: We were honoured to present our vision at the G20 Startup20 summit, sharing how circular economy principles can be applied locally.
- National Recognition: Being featured in publications like Punjab Kesari, Hindustan, and Navbharat Times helped us reach more people who want to embrace sustainability.
- Mentorship: Programs like the CBC Foundation and the ACIR Nexus (a US Embassy program) were crucial in helping us refine our process and scale our production.
- Global Investors Summit: Standing alongside entrepreneurs to meet the Honorable President and the Chief Minister of UP was a reminder of how far our 'waste-to-wonder' mission has come.
Why This Matters
Every product you see here, from our planters to our bookshelves, is a piece of our story. We aren't just selling decor; we are showing that post-consumer plastic can be beautiful, durable, and functional. Today, we have successfully diverted over 3,50,000 kgs of plastic from landfills. We believe our story is just beginning, and we are grateful to have you join us on this path to a cleaner, greener future.
Econscious
We are Sonal and Vaibhav, and Econscious started on a trek where we saw more plastic than nature. We decided then that we wouldn't just complain about the mess, but find a way to fix it by building something useful.
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