Cleanlabel, a Bengaluru-based company comes up with innovative way for zero waste living, the firm delivers organic essentials in reusable packaging that is collected, sterilized and reused, making healthy eating and zero-waste the new, clean standard.
Founded by Shyam Sunder and Deepa Channabasappa, Cleanlabel allows groceries to reach consumers without any plastic, making it easy to go waste-free.
Spearheading the Reuse Revolution, Cleanlabel’s shop-drop-swap system allows customers to shop from its range of wholesome essentials, in durable and sustainable packaging like glass, steel and organic cotton. Once they have used the items, they simply have to drop the empty containers in the tote bag provided by the brand, and swap it with the delivery guy on their next order.
It is then Cleanlabel’s responsibility to sterilize the used containers and put them back on the shelf.
Cleanlable in a statement said “this circular business has curated and sourced the best varieties of each product from the country so that the consumer is not overwhelmed with too many choices.”
The company also delivers to customers using rented electric vehicles to keep their carbon footprint in check. With all the relevant information printed directly on the container and a QR code to trace every item’s exact source, Cleanlabel has even managed to do away with wasteful printed labels while encouraging transparency.
While the take-make-waste approach gives us unparalleled convenience, it generates significant waste – both material and economical. In India, 43% of plastic waste comes from packaging, which piles up in landfills and floods the oceans, polluting the soil that grows our food, the water we drink and the very air we breathe, as it decomposes over centuries.
“There is no such place as away. When you throw something away, it goes somewhere.” says Shyam Sunder, co-founder of Cleanlabel. “Every time we buy a product, we are paying anywhere between INR 1 to 7 for a single-use plastic wrapper or a plastic bottle. A normal household buys about 50 products a month amounting to INR 3500/year for plastic waste. We – as consumers – fund the plastic waste and pay the cost, literally.”
The company in a statement said “Three types of waste are generated in e-commerce packaging – primary (single-use plastic that holds the food), secondary (bubble wraps) and tertiary (corrugated boxes, stickers). Cleanlabel avoids all of these by using reusable packaging – Glass or steel replaces primary waste, coir made from coconut waste replaces secondary waste and pet bottles recycled fabric and cotton canvas replaces tertiary waste.”
Cleanlabel also aims to use each container for at least 100 use cycles.
Cleanlabel offers membership subscriptions in Bengaluru where members get privileges and a welcome kit with the best-selling products. It also offers a direct purchase option. Cleanlabel will soon be available across all pin codes in Bengaluru. They also plan to expand to Hyderabad and Chennai by the end of 2021.
As of now there is no word on the expansion plan to other metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.