Founder reflections

Founder Reflections: Building a Business with Purpose

When we started Indus Eco, it wasn’t just about creating eco-friendly products. It was about asking deeper questions:

• Can sustainability be scalable?

• Can handcrafted still mean high-quality?

• Can business be both conscious and competitive?

Years later, we’re still asking those questions - and learning every day.

From Plastic Frustration to a Sustainable Vision

The journey began with a simple frustration: plastic was everywhere, even in the most luxurious settings. Disposable packaging, wasteful hotel amenities, cheap branding materials. We saw an opportunity to offer better alternatives - products that were not only beautiful, but built with care for the environment.

But building that vision meant more than switching materials. It meant rethinking how products are made, who makes them, and how they’re used. It meant listening to the hospitality industry, the corporate sector, the artisans - and finding ways to bridge the gaps between them.

Embracing Complexity, Choosing Intention

Sustainability isn’t simple. Sometimes, the most "eco" option on paper doesn’t work in the real world - it might be too fragile, too expensive, or require infrastructure that doesn’t exist in rural parts of India.

That’s why we don’t believe in perfect products. We believe in better products - ones that push the standard forward, even if they’re still part of a longer journey.

Some of our proudest innovations came from these grey areas:

• A jute-cotton blend that’s durable yet biodegradable

• Stone paper notebooks that skip deforestation entirely

• Seeded pouches that turn into plants instead of trash

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re proofs of possibility.

People First, Always

The heart of Indus Eco has always been people - our partners, our clients, and the communities we support.

Many of our products are made by women-led cooperatives and family-run businesses. Working with them means supporting livelihoods, not just supply chains. It means valuing craft and care as much as output and cost.

We’ve also learned from our clients - boutique hotels who want low-waste amenities, retailers trying to ditch plastic, corporations looking for meaningful gifting solutions. Every brief is a conversation. Every product is a collaboration.

Looking Ahead

Our industry is changing fast. Sustainability is no longer an afterthought - it’s becoming a requirement. But we believe this isn’t just a compliance shift. It’s a creative one.

There’s so much innovation still to come. We’re excited to explore new materials, expand our product categories, and deepen our partnerships across hospitality and retail. But we’ll do it our way - carefully, thoughtfully, and always anchored in purpose.

Because for us, Indus Eco isn’t just a company.

It’s a commitment - to make things better, and to keep asking how.