As the world moves towards a more sustainable way of living, as plenty of fledgling, socially-conscious entrepreneurs start businesses that cater to this market. While brand names and quality still command priority, a cursory look at social media newsfeeds also ascertains why the Gen Y covets this trend – to stay ‘woke’

Take the instance of this trio of youngsters – Divya Rao, Indira Reddy and Kadambari Narendran – who joined hands to begin Kai Rassi, an organisation that seeks to help differently-abled artists in Chennai and across India sell their artwork, as well as license using it on different mediums. 

“We work with people who are mentally or physically-disabled, connect them to mentors, and showcase their work to the public. Since a couple of us are from the education and mental healthcare sectors, this helped us connect with a lot of these artists.

Then word got out, and more reached out to us,” says Kadambari. She adds, “We also have a ‘Differently Designed’ project via which these artists’ designs have been incorporated in clothes, furniture, wedding cards, etc. It’s fantastic that people are coming forward to support such initiatives.” 

Meanwhile, Abhinaya Rangarajan, came across the traditional puppet makers from Dharmavaram, Andhra Pradesh, who were facing the option of losing their livelihood during a trip. The Chennai-based entrepreneur consequently started The Artist Project, that would make the products of such artisans from villages across the country more accessible to customers. 

“Many people like to purchase handmade home décor and lifestyle products – so why not use the opportunity to also convey to them the stories behind the makers?” she asks. Abhinaya even sends a hand-written note from the artisan to the customer, to create a better connect. Cholamandal Artists’ Village, Auroville, Nirona Village in Kutch and so on are some of the places she has found talented artisans in. 

“The number of people who want to shop as a means to support such communities is increasing, and that only augurs well,” she says. 

The trend is applicable in fashion too, with clothes and accessories going the eco-friendly way. With Indians voting for leather-free products, companies are figuring out strategies to make the green switch, such as Arture in Chennai that uses cork, which is highly sustainable to make bags and wallets, terming it ‘sustainable vegan fashion’. 

Says college student Rajesh Krishna, who made a conscious choice to eat only at restaurants that went plastic-free, “I volunteer at beach clean-ups, and once came across turtles that were washed ashore and had died cause of plastic getting into their body. It was a sickening sight and one that made my friends and I resolve to not just reduce plastic usage ourselves, but support initiatives that tried their best to spread awareness. Chennai had seen a sea change of late in this context, with several restaurants and pubs opting for steel straws and doing away with plastic packaging altogether.” 

Marketing strategist Vinod Kumar adds that plenty of social media influencers also advocate such projects and businesses, which further the cause. “Since it is the in-thing today, youngsters are happy to jump onto the bandwagon. But this is one trend we shouldn’t be complaining about, as it actually makes a difference. Even if some of these products are expensive, people feel that it is worth paying for, as they can tell their friends they are doing their bit to make the world a better place.” 

Sruti Harihara Subramanian’s Goli Soda, an ‘upcycle’ store was one of the first businesses in Chennai, started five years ago, to count on people being eco-conscious. But it took them a while to educate people on upclycling, that is the reuse of waste or discarded materials to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. 

“But honestly, we can’t count on the ‘environmental-friendly’ aspect. They need to be competitive with other products in terms of quality and pricing, that’s something we always work towards,” she explains and adds, “So people who buy it purely on the product’s merit go home and realise that they have contributed to a cause.”