Rahul Singh and Arvind Ganesan quit their cushy corporate jobs in the US to build EcoSoul Home, in an effort to provide sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic.

The co-founders quit their jobs in June 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, with Rahul moving to Noida in order to build a strong supply chain.

The startup sells eco-friendly home essentials across six categories — kitchen, dining, tabletop, bath, baby and personal care.

They have replaced plastic in everyday products such as forks, spoons, cups, straws, and plates. They have also introduced compostable paper towels, made out of bamboo instead of traditional paper.

“We use agro-waste to make our products. We work with sugarcane bagasse, rice khus, wheat khus, and palm leaves. We also don’t cut any trees to make our products. All our finished products are replacements for single-use plastics,” explains Rahul.

He adds that their products are “earthworm certified”, meaning they are compostable and good for soil health, as they can be eaten by earthworms.

EcoSoul claims to have achieved a global turnover of Rs 600 crore in FY 23-24. They are present in 8,000 stores across 11 countries including the US, Canada, Germany, UAE, and India.

The 40-year-old co-founders were colleagues at Wayfair, an American e-commerce giant, where they created a sustainable product category for the company.

A deep dive into the sustainability space led to an ‘aha moment’ as they recognised the growing demand for eco-friendly products.

Noticing the demand for organic food, they knew that the next category would be things that touch food, which resulted in their tabletop line.

So invested were the duo in this idea that Rahul sold his New York home, while Arvind sold his shares. The start was challenging, as they had to build a supply chain when the world was under lockdown.

Rahul and Priyanka Aeron (India Managing Director and Head of Global HR & Tech) worked out of a rented apartment in Noida which doubled up as a warehouse.

They built a supply chain in India, China, Thailand, and Mexico. “While building a supply chain amidst the pandemic, we faced multiple challenges from raw material shortages to transportation bottlenecks, sky-high container prices and labour force constraints.”

They have four factories in India in Tumakuru, Shivamogga, Raipur and Muzaffarnagar with plans to open three more. Their products in India are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 800.

Priyanka swears by the philosophy — “We do not inherit the earth from our parents; we borrow it from our children.”