Innovation has become the new global mantra for sustainability after the increase of the negative impacts amid climate change across the globe. Nitika Sonkhiya, founder of Revering Lifestyle under her initiative ONEarth has come up with the new innovative ideas of crafting eco-friendly products made of organic materials to reduce pollution. From offering sustainable alternatives to plastic such as jute bags bamboo products to organic cosmetics, her venture not only offers environment friendly solutions but also empowers local artisans.
In a conversation with The EarthView Nitika explains the need to transition to sustainable development. “In the 21st century, people are facing a major challenge of climate change. Even after witnessing the negative effects on the environment, we are passively watching and waiting for someone to come up and clear the clutter. The menace of plastic pollution is an alarming trend, especially in India and it has become necessary to find alternatives to the existing practices,” she said.
Analyzing that the maximum number of elements we use daily are made of polluting plastic – from our toothbrushes to cosmetics or decoration wares to Homie goods, Nitika’s venture ONEarth is extending arms to create an alternate product for almost every plastic article we use. ONEarth with its 45 products launched till date has already ceased the proliferation of plastics to a great extent.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates 707 million metric tons of plastic products every year. However, entrepreneurs like Nitika are finally stepping out to counter the crisis.
“We are trying to make our contribution by majorly focusing on 2 problems, firstly, protecting the planet from plastic flooding and second, promoting the Indian products not only in the local market but also at global level,” said the rising entrepreneur. Nitika also saw this as an opportunity in upskilling the artisans and workers in India, that promoted the local market and supported livelihood.
Sustainable approach of Revering Lifestyle:
It has been ratified globally that sustainable development amends innovations to develop superfluous technology to make the planet a better living place.
ONEarth is passionate about serving society with eco-friendly products as an alternative to non-disposable plastic products. From the undertakings involved in the manufacturing of products to the packaging, everything meets standards for quality and stands right out with environmental responsibility.
The eco-friendly qualities of bamboo and other products are being integrated into the production and the packaging of cosmetic products. Also, cosmetic products are formulated out of natural substances without any chemicals which are tested personally before marketing. The complete process of crafting materials is handmade, which is done by the local artisans. This enables ONEarth to offer all their products at competitive prices.
The entrepreneurial activity by Nitika has also been seen as an indispensable factor behind societal development and prosperity. Revering Lifestyle has been recognized as an endeavour that works for the upliftment of women in the society.
“We are a company that focuses on women empowerment and works with NGO’s like CFHRSW that supports our mission. I believe ‘An empowered woman can empower women’, ” said Nitika
CFHRSW (NGO working for Women Empowerment based out of Jaipur) and Revering Lifestyle with a common vision of empowering women are working towards providing economic opportunities. The collaboration took place between the two for helping a SHGs (self-help group) led by two women with the help of WaSH Hub, a market facilitator platform that formed a financial partnership to support SHGs. Under this collaboration, CFHRSW’s SHGs would act as the manufacturing centre for Revering Lifestyle’s products. This collaboration assisted the SHGs to generate livelihood and at the same time, created an alternate, women-led manufacturing channel for Revering Lifestyle. Soon, their hard work paid off and the SHGs were successful to secure subsequent manufacturing orders from the Revering Lifestyle. Within a short span of two months, the strength of women employed under the program grew from four to 22 with a gradual increase in order book from 10 to 1,000.
A journey of Local to Vocal:
“I was introduced to this magic of homemade beauty products as a kid by my mom. And always has been instinctive to the products that were available in the market as they contained many hidden ingredients. So, it was always a question for me, ‘what am I applying on my face?’, ” Nitika recollects her memories.
Nitika is an engineer by profession cum entrepreneur. She completed her engineering degree and pursued working with the MNC. “During my 4 years of work in the MNC, my friend and a colleague shared his dream of starting his venture with some unique idea. And during some conservation we discussed my fondness of using and making organic products which captivated his interest and soon we both decided to start our enterprise,” says Nitika.
“After the 1 year of experience and several experiments, I was confident and with the optimism of using byproducts for manufacturing sustainable products. So, complete sustainability with affordability became the motto for my new start-up ONEarth,” Nitika shares.
She added, “I am delighted to share that ONEarth has now successfully built a global presence in the production of organic and sustainable products. With its product exposure in more than 10 countries, ONEarth is developing a platform for local artisans for livelihood.”
Why is India lagging?
Despite existing as the second-ranking country in the world for cultivating bamboo, India has lagged in harnessing the complete use of its resources, and fallen into the Chinese technology trap.
“India’s Northeast part has been enriched with sufficient bamboo resources, extensive and plentiful to create a sustainable robust economy. The government should motivate the manufacturing of the products out of bamboo to meet the global demand for bamboo products. Though we are one of the biggest bamboo cultivators, we are only able to complete 20 per cent of the world’s demand,” said Nitika.
She also explained the need to increase the manufacturing of sustainable products. “It’s high time that the government should facilitate the production of eco-friendly products to meet global demands. Since the pandemic, the global clientele is shifting its base from China to India. So, it became necessary that we take the right stand. This will gradually decrease the cost of sustainable products, such as bamboo toothbrushes that can compete with plastic toothbrushes.”
She concludes, “A People warrior chain could only inspire our community and the rest of the world to develop and use eco-friendly materials and products. Word of mouth must be stressed to spread awareness. And we will be hardworking to accomplish our vision of bringing quality products for our customers both locally and globally.”
Written by: Manoj Khetan