Bending The Lines

This episode on impact investing features Rob Kaplan, the founder and CEO of Circulate Capital, an impact focussed investment management firm. Rob has two decades of experience in corporate sustainability and impact investing. In this episode, Rob walks us through his journey of impact investing and what drives him to do what he does. He talks about the goals of Circulate Capital, their focus, and their portfolio in India while describing how the startup impact ecosystem has shaped up in the last few years. Given his extensive experience, he also has an important message for all the impact based entrepreneurs.

This fireside chat with a sneak-peek into impact investing episode features Aviral Bhatnagar, currently a VC at Venture Highway and having 5 years of investing experience earlier with Guild Capital. He also runs the platform A Junior VC with an aim of democratizing conversations in the startup ecosystem. The discussions revolve around impact investing, the differences when it comes to investing in social entrepreneurs, and how founders discover problem statements.

The guest on this episode from PepsiCo is Archawat Ohm Chareonsilp, who serves as its Environment Sustainability Policy and Innovation Director, Apac. Before PepsiCo, Ohm was at Coca Cola for 11 years. In this episode, Ohm describes what sustainability means for him and PepsiCo, the various initiatives being undertaken by PepsiCo in multiple countries, how they see eliminating virgin plastic in its bottles going forward, Pepsico's partners who are on the same sustainable mission as theirs, and how the company is educating and changing consumer behavior.

The guest on this episode is Sandeep Patel, co-founder, and CEO of Nepra. It is a waste management and recycling company specialising in the collection, segregation, processing, and recycling of local municipal dry waste, including plastic. Sandeep talks about founding Nepra in 2011, his and the team's core vision, how Nepra works, future plans for the company, and also shares his take on social impact and how entrepreneurs can build in the nascent waste management sector. 

This episode on the theme of 'sustainable energy' features guests, Mr. Sanjeev Raina (Chief General Manager of HSSE - Corporate) and Mr. Ashish Gupta (Chief Manager of HSSE) of BPCL. BPCL is one of India's best performing Maharatna PSU. The guests talk about the different stages of pollution in the oil and gas industry, how BPCL is tackling them sustainably, their green initiatives, how BPCL has been a fast adopter of technology, their steps for an EV ecosystem and the next 5 years of a sustainable BPCL!

The guest in this episode is Achyuth Iyengar, the Director of Specialty Solutions - APAC of DSM. Royal DSM which started off as a mining company in 1902  is now a purpose-led global science-based multinational corporation in nutrition, health, and sustainable living! In this episode, Achyuth shares with us what DSM as a group does, their core vision for sustainable and healthy living through its products, how its different verticals complement their sustainability agenda, and also has a message for businesses on how to be value-driven.

The guest in this episode is the Co-founder and CEO of GoodDot, Abhishek Sinha who is determined to make the world a more humane place for animals. GoodDot, India's most recognized plant-based meat companies provide meat-eaters with high-quality, plant-based alternatives that capture the taste and texture of animal-based meat. In this episode, Abhishek shares his journey of founding good dot, what inspires him in this mission, the adoption of plant-based meat in India, the growth and future of GoodDot including their sister company GoodDo!

The episode features Mr. Naveen Munjal, MD of Hero Electric talk about electric mobility. He started his journey working at Landrover, then expanding Hero Cycles into the International markets, and launched Hero Electric, and has since steered it to be the leading manufacturer and market leader in the two-wheeler EV segment in India. In this episode, Naveen talks about Hero's incredible journey with Electric Vehicles, their mission and future plans, the general EV adoption in India, how government policies can shape it, the need for the collective growth of all EV players as we move into a new phase of mobility!

The guest on this episode is Anand Ayyadurai, Co-founder and CEO of Vogo. Abbreviated for 'Vehicle On the Go', Vogo is an IOT based bike-sharing platform backed by Hero MotoCorp, OLA, Stellaris, and Matrix Partners. In this episode, Anand shares his journey of building Vogo, his vision for Vogo as a last-mile connectivity service, the evolution of EV two-wheelers, how India can adapt to it, and the need for a stronger network among the EV players to drive India there!

The guest featuring in this episode is known as the Recycle Man of India. Dr. Binish Desai, as a 10-year-old performed his own little experiments and today, has diverted 1996 metric tonnes of trash from entering landfills. Binish talks about his journey as a curious child to founding eco eclectic, how recycling is impacted by culture, the shift in recycling during this pandemic and also has an important message for all young entrepreneurs and believes change can be driven by the youth of our country.

Lauren Taylor is the Global VP, Creative and Communications at TerraCycle. It is an innovative recycling company founded by Tom Szaky in 2001 that has become a global leader in recycling and on a mission to eliminate the idea of waste! In this episode, Lauren describes how Tom founded TerraCycle, the products and services they offer, some major client projects of theirs, a pandemic driven consumer mindset towards reusable packaging, and how Terracycle is building Loop, its circular delivery arm for FMCG brands.

This podcast revolving around BCG and its sustainability actions feature two eminent guests, Mr. Vishal Mehta and Mr. Rajarshi Bhattacharyya. They share their views on the current landscape of sustainability in India, how different CEO's across industries are relating profitability with sustainability and how BCG is walking the talk themselves and helping clients move towards a sustainable model.

This episode features Gerald Marin, the Sustainability Packaging Head of the world's largest beer maker, AB InBev. Gerald describes the entire value chain of beer, focussing on the sustainable packaging initiatives undertaken and how the company is working towards its 2025 sustainability goals. He also shares his views on the consumer mindset for reusable packaging during present times of a pandemic.

This episode features Mr. Aniket Deb, Co-Founder, and CEO of Bizongo. It is a one-stop platform for all packaging needs founded by three IIT graduates in 2015. Bizongo does revenues of over 350 Crores annually. Aniket shares his journey building Bizongo, how they are aligned with sustainability and circular economy practices, why plastic is not bad but its single-use form which is harmful, and how Bizongo is tackling this while describing the present consumer mindset towards packaging in a pandemic affected world.

The episode features Christine Gould, founder and CEO of Thought For Food (TFF). It is an innovation engine unlocking the potential of the next generations to lead a sustainable food and agriculture revolution. In 8 years, TFF has helped launched 60+ startups, accelerated 5K+ new deep-tech ventures, and built a global community of 20K+ Millenial and GenZ innovators from 170+ countries across the globe. Christine shares her journey through building TFF, the lack of support for Millennials and GenZ, how TFF labs is closing that gap, and helping food tech entrepreneurs. She also shares her insights into the current packaging used in food tech and has a message for all aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators. 

This episode features an amazing entrepreneur, Elliot Roth, founder of Spira Inc, a US-based startup in the food tech space whose goal is to get consumers to drink spirulina, a blue-green algae! Elliot shares how he envisioned the idea while couch-surfing, not having food to eat to growing his first batch of algae in a tank. He describes how Spira is reducing food waste and the challenges he foresees while scaling up. Elliot also shares the incredible astronaut mission by NASA he is going to be a part of!

Ms. Akanksha Sharma is one of the few women leading the sustainability agenda of any organization. She has extensive experience over a decade in advising boards on sustainable business practices. In this episode, she talks about her journey and why sustainability has interested her. She discusses the various initiatives undertaken by Sterlite to reduce waste and her insights on how other companies can follow suit especially in terms of collaboration.

The episode features Mr. Anirban Ghosh, CSO of the multinational conglomerate, Mahindra Group. Under his leadership, the Mahindra group has developed an award-winning sustainability framework and the first to commit to doubling energy productivity. Mr. Ghosh talks about profit and planet overlap, the concept of alternativism, and the benefit of energy efficiency practices. He also cites various examples being undertaken within the group in their endeavor towards a circular planet.

Mr. Arvind Bodhankar is a sustainability professional with 30 years of experience across various sectors. He currently serves as the Jt. Executive President and CSO of UltraTech Cement, the world's leading cement company. In this episode, we learn how cement is made, what stages contribute to environmental degradation, and how it is being tackled by UltraTech. We also discuss actionable steps by a consumer to reduce their footprint on our environment.

Ms. Radhika Ralhan is a sociologist, sustainable systems professional, and an impact strategist. She is a global impact young leader from India, awarded by the prestigious Atlas Corps Fellowship 2020. The episode focuses on the changing patterns of consumption, and how a cultural shift has impacted it. Companies should incorporate sustainability into the core business and create systems thereby. The episode also has various examples cited by Ms. Radhika of individual and entrepreneurial led efforts in moving to a circular world.

Mr. Prabodha Acharya is an environmental management, climate change, and sustainability professional and the current CSO of JSW Group. In this episode, we discuss India's global position in steel production and how JSW is contributing to meeting the steel demand sustainably. He describes the waste generation at several stages of steel production and ways to recycle and recover it. He also gives us insights into the current pandemic situation and how businesses can overcome this and while recovering can bring about sustainability into the core business.

Dr. Prasad Modak is a corporate environmental consultant for financial institutions and development agencies like UNEP, UNDP, and most recently the Asian Development Bank. He is the founder and president of the Environmental Management Center. In this episode, he discusses the vital role of regulatory bodies in implementing sustainability like FICCI among others. Dr. Modak has been leading the circular economy revolution since 1990.

This episode features packaging leader Mr. Ramaiah Muthusubramanian who has nearly three-decade experience in the FMCG space. He has been the Global Director for Sustainable Packaging at Unilver and now is the CEO of PackFora. He speaks on his experience and changing landscape in packaging, why plastic is a wonder material and the need for a circular economy for it, the growing sustainable infrastructure in Inda and how he is making PackFora, a go-to place for packaging expertise.

BOHECO is leading India's hemp revolution while tackling the narrative of cannabis being nothing but marijuana. Mr. Sanvar Oberoi, the co-founder is a Forbes 30U30 Asia awardee and was featured in GQs Top 50 influential Indians. This episode revolves around startling facts on fashion waste, the changing landscape with sustainable fashion, rising eco-conscious consumer demand and why Sanvar along with his friends ventured into the hemp industry with a message for all budding entrepreneurs.

Mr. Thakur Pherwwani comes with a plethora of experience across FMCG, E-Commerce, and Pharma. He gives us key insights into these industries, how regulations play a pivotal role in enforcing sustainability, the importance of efficient reverse logistics for a circular economy model are amongst the many of the key takeaways from this episode.

Hear the ex-CSO of Coca Cola, and now Founder, PRO Recycling, Mr. Amit Saha in this two-part episode of bending the lines: a circular lens into industries. He takes us through his journey in the field of sustainability, circular measures being undertaken by Coca Cola in the F&B sector, why he ventured into entrepreneurship and his message for all budding entrepreneurs in the sustainable and circular space. 

Hear the ex-CSO of Coca Cola, and now Founder, PRO Recycling, Mr. Amit Saha in this two-part episode of bending the lines: a circular lens into industries. He takes us through his journey in the field of sustainability, circular measures being undertaken by Coca Cola in the F&B sector, why he ventured into entrepreneurship and his message for all budding entrepreneurs in the sustainable and circular space.

The world population is growing and this is affecting the environment. For a long time, our economy has been 'linear'. We measure everything in finite models. The linear approach does not complement a sustainable earth model. Our natural ecosystems work together through regeneration. It's not linear, but circular like the shape of our planet. So, what is the circular economy? Why is our future going to be circular? This introduction episode will answer your queries on circularity.

Hello Listeners! Welcome to the first edition of Bending The Lines by InfinityBox. We are pioneering the circular economy revolution in the food delivery industry. Circular Economy is the need of the hour. We have all heard it but do we understand and follow it? This is an initiative by us to help Millennials and Gen Z understand the impact Circularity can create and the abundant opportunities available. Let us all bend the lines together!