ECO SPECIAL..ECOPRENEURS .

ECO-PRENEURS ROLL IN THE GREEN Meet six eco-preneurs, who opted out of the corporate rat race by giving up their well-paying jobs and making an eco-conscious decision to launch green start-ups.  Find out how they are minting money while saving the world. APURVA KOTHARI H I S G R E E N I N I T I A T I V E NoNasties.in Sells organic T-shirts W H Y D I D H E G O G R E E N ? “After the cotton farming crisis that erupted in India, I wanted to work with these farmers to help them. I found an opportunity in selling organic clothing.” The Mumbai-based company helps cotton farmers in India by fetching them a better price for their produce. They also work with art designers and send the designs to a manufacturing unit in Kolkata, partially owned by a farmers' association. The company sells about 80,000 worth of T-shirts per month, and managed to break even in the first seven months of operations. These Tshirts are priced from 599-999. HITENDRA CHATURVEDI H I S G R E E N I N I T I A T I V E Greendust.com Reverse Logistics Co (RLC) W H Y D I D H E G O G R E E N ? “I was surprised that Indian companies knew little and cared even less about waste management and the benefits of reverse logistics.” This Delhi-based company collects rejected, unsold products from OEMs, or original equipment manufacturers, refurbishes and sells them as factory seconds at 25-30% of the market price on their portal. Besides offering an eco-friendly way of disposing of such products, the venture also helps reduce the cost of storing these goods. The company has a two-lakh strong online customer base and an online conversion rate that is close to 5% of the total hits. SUNIL MAHAJAN (left) & NARESH CHAND OF KLEETO.IN  T H E I R G R E E N I N I T I A T I V E Kleeto.in Next gen paper solutions W H Y D I D T H E Y G O G R E E N ? “We didn’t want people to print multiple copies of a single paper to share it. Our aim is to encourage complete digital sharing.” The duo founded Kleeto.in, which helps digitise all documents, from bills and tax papers to insurance policies and wills. They use a password protected server, facilitating quick access from anywhere for 1,200 a year. Their company helps avoid wastage of paper by allowing customers to share their documents digitally via e-mail, as an attachment or link or through temporary sharing. In a couple of years, the company projects to reach a turnover of 100 crore. YOGITA MEHRA & KARAN MANRAL OF GREEN ESSENTIALS T H E I R G R E E N I N I T I A T I V E Green Essentials Home improvement shop W H Y D I D T H E Y G O G R E E N ? “We are led to believe that making money is always at the expense of nature. We didn’t think so and wanted to show that it can be done in a nature-friendly and responsible way.” The Panjim-based couple quit the rat race and made an eco-conscious decision to sell ecofriendly home products. The shop stocks natural detergent and household cleaning material. It also undertakes pest management, offers home composting, provides solar lighting and organic-manure. The couple also conducts agricultural workshops on organic farming in Goa. They sell products worth 70,000 a month on an average and the profit margin is about 25% of the sales. Milan Sharma and Amit Kumar ETW 4JUN12