Banofi Leather — Circular Economy Innovation (Mumbai)

  • Founded by UNEP Young Champion Jinali Mody
  • Creates high-performance vegan leather using banana crop waste mixed with natural rubbers and starches
  • Slashes carbon and water emissions by over 95% vs animal leather
  • Eliminates toxic heavy metals (chromium) from tanneries
  • Provides secondary income for smallholder farmers

Paani Foundation — Community-Led Climate Resilience (Maharashtra)

  • Co-founded by filmmaker Kiran Rao
  • Launched “Water Cup” competition teaching villagers watershed management science
  • Transformed water scarcity from crisis into joyful community movement
  • Empowered women as leaders; broke caste/social barriers as villagers worked side-by-side

Makanaka Plastics — Grassroots Plastic Eradication (Goa)

  • Discarded fabric upcycled by local women into cloth bags
  • Continuously circulated among shopkeepers and vegetable vendors
  • Permanently replaces single-use plastic at neighbourhood level

ERDS Foundation — Biodiversity Education (Rajasthan)

  • Ecology, Rural Development and Sustainability Foundation
  • Takes schoolchildren into scrublands to teach native biodiversity
  • Counters local extinction of species like the Great Indian Bustard
  • Transforms eco-anxiety into actionable ecological awareness