Green Tech: Karim Quazzani of NOVA MILAN On How Their Technology Will Make An Important Positive Impact On The Environment
An Interview With Jilea Hemmings
Our technology takes agricultural waste such as pineapple leaves, yucca, hemp, and banana, which is disruptive to the environment and turns into beautiful luxurious vegan leather. This is what sustainability is all about.
In recent years, Big Tech has gotten a bad rep. But of course, many tech companies are doing important work making monumental positive changes to society, health, and the environment. To highlight these, we started a new interview series about “Technology Making an Important Positive Social Impact”. We are interviewing leaders of tech companies who are creating or have created a tech product that is helping to make a positive change in people’s lives or the environment. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karim Quazzani.
Mr. Quazzani is a tech visionary who excels in early trend recognition and mass adoption as well as an experienced platform architect that specializes in social and environmental disruptive technologies.
He is the Co-Founder of Nova Milan, a green tech that solves one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges- how to transform plant waste, such a pineapple, banana, yucca, plantain, water hyacinth, into top-quality plant based vegan leather and bioplastics.
In addition, he founded, Pawtocol, a global online community of pet lovers who are disrupting the pet industry by leveraging blockchain technology while monetizing data about their pets.
His projects always keep in mind Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria. He believes that ESG factors, when integrated into investment analysis and portfolio construction, offer investors long-term performance advantages.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In mid-2014’s I was working with a tea company that was fledgling. I had realized that their ingredients would be good in skincare. However, every customer wanted to know if the skincare was free of animal cruelty. That was the beginning of a new trend in the skincare market and I was so happy to be part of it because I have always been a protector of animals and a member of the pet community. I had noticed though that the pet community was breed-centric and as a side hustle I started making vegan bracelets embossed with sayings such as “I Love My Pitbull”, etc. They were a huge hit in Facebook groups and I lost track of how many I sold. However, the vegan leather I created them with actually used a scary amount of petroleum. So I researched vegan leather without the petroleum and found nothing on the market. And while that is not the sole impetus for starting Nova Milan (I am a die-hard environmentalist) it’s always in the back of my mind that it was also my passion for animals that got me here today.
So yea, from tea to skincare to bracelets to a massive vegan plant leather company. It all sounds so random, but it is so not.
None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I work with someone who provides the mental and emotional support entrepreneurs sometimes need.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I don’t abide by any cliche quotes but I do have one of my own — “Exactly.” When I say that it means I agree from the heart.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Reinvent yourself as the market changes because the market is dynamic and you can’t be static. An example of this is how I transformed the tea company I mentioned above into a skincare company that ultimately led to Nova Milan.
- Always conduct a split test in marketing or on a product. Don’t make final decisions until you see which one has more positive feedback and then that is the one you focus on and drop the others. An example is my first animal bracelet. The question was do I make it general and make life easy for me or by breed, and breed won. Yes, there are only pitbull or poodle lovers out there!
- Treat employees like they are your family. Understand their needs and connect with them. We are all humans and without the team, you can never be a leader.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about the tech tools that you are helping to create that can make a positive impact on the planet and the environment. To begin, which particular problems are you aiming to solve?
We need to stop using animals for leather and stop polluting the world with petroleum-derived products. We also are solving the problems of agricultural waste that also pollutes and harms the planet if left to rot. Lastly, we believe, as an ESG company (Environmentally aware, Socially Responsible, and Governing with transparency) that everything you do needs to have a clear social impact on the people and places that are part of your success.
How do you think your technology can address this?
Our technology takes agricultural waste such as pineapple leaves, yucca, hemp, and banana, which is disruptive to the environment and turns into beautiful luxurious vegan leather. This is what sustainability is all about.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
Again, it was these bracelets. When I found out how much petroleum was used to create them, I knew I could do better, so I went back to the basics — literally. We reimagined a plant-based economy which is what Nova Milan is all about. Get rid of the chemicals, keep it clean and become profitable simply by utilizing the plant-derived waste.
How do you think this might change the world?
We launched in Costa Rica because of their support and a huge amount of plant-based waste, plus a genius talent pool. We will continue this journey into other countries creating plant-based economies around the world with their agricultural waste and creating beautiful sustainable materials. We believe this will help people use plants, not plastic, help save our oceans, stop polluting the air, and more. Have agricultural waste? Nova Milan will take care of it!
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?
Absolutely not. Plants never harmed the planet!
Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, can you please share “Five things you need to know to successfully create technology that can make a positive social impact”? (Please share a story or an example, for each.)
- You can make the business profitable without harming the planet. This is the main core of Nova Milan and you need to know the environmental impact of every move you make including your supply chain providers to make sure they are aligned with your values.
- You can make a business profitable while doing a good social impact. For example, within the communities that provide agricultural waste, we are e applying knowledge transfer and teaching them skills so they can be part of Nova Milan and earn a living. We have a special focus on empowering women.
- Always build a business thinking of scalability. If you leave this last, you can’t have mass adoption and that’s what every big business needs.
- Be a leader, not the boss. Always listen to the team that surrounds you because building great technology isn’t just about what I think. I am useless without the strong tech team that we have.
- Work with as much environmental awareness as possible. Produce in an area where renewable energy is in abundance or there is a huge amount of raw materials or whatever suits your need Also, and I always go back to this, make sure every company move has a social impact locally and globally.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
Choose a future with a business model that is aligned with the planet’s survival.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Elon Musk. He sees 100 years ahead.,
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success in your important work.
