Startup Spotlight: ECO 360’
From poly recycling to compostable packaging; Chullaka Hapuarachchi, founder of ECO 360’ spoke to hatch about his business, his passion for the earth and the challenges he faces as a startup in Sri Lanka.
Recycling is not the ultimate solution. In Sri Lanka and many other countries, less than 8% of plastic is recycled. As an earthling, Chullaka was never a fan of plastic. In 2016, Chullaka combined his recycling plant with his father’s poly manufacturing plant to start ECO 360’ and make sustainable, earth-friendly packaging. The products are made from cornstarch and cassava as alternatives to plastic. All products can be composted at home. “We avoid the word ‘biodegradable’ because it has a lot of greenwashing around it. In reality, these “biodegradable” plastics merely break down into smaller particles and the soil contaminated with this cannot sustain plant life. Our brand carries the tagline ‘Compost me’ to let buyers know exactly what the product can do,” says Chullaka.
Alternatives to combat pollution
Cornstarch and cassava to make these products are derived from industrial waste. “In Sri Lanka, we use manioc only for eating but I soon found out that in other parts of the world, it is used in about 200+ products which end up producing large quantities of industrial waste. It would be counterproductive to use our food sources as raw materials to make these bags. It is only sustainable if we use waste,” says Chullaka. Sugar cane is another raw material that can be converted to sustainable packaging, but in Sri Lanka, the sugar cane waste is used as fuel for boilers. While the waste is being “used”, it doesn’t get “reused” as an alternative, whereas in countries such as China, they use sustainable energy sources to power boilers and sell the sugar cane waste to other industries.
Challenges as a startup
ECO 360’ faces the challenge of gaining market share as plastics are still very much cheaper and promoting alternatives is always about persistent education on the problem at large. “We highlight the need for change and the availability of alternatives. I’ve noticed that public pressure is a big change catalyst. We’ve had instances where people demanded the brands they use, to switch to our earth-friendly alternatives for their packaging,” says Chullaka.
Companies show interest in changing their ways but when it comes to the final decision, the price makes or breaks the deal. Plastic is cheap. Alternatives aren’t. What usually goes unnoticed is the cost to the environment because the irreversible damage we’re facing is very, very real. The responsibility of not polluting the earth falls on everyone, not just consumers but on manufacturers and brands. “Harpos and Resplendent Ceylon buy our products and they’re spearheading a positive change. We also signed up Keells a large socially conscious local supermarket chain to replace some of their packaging to ‘ECO 360’ compostable bags. This will replace about 1 million bags a month which would have otherwise been added to the environment each month,” says Chullaka who is hopeful that things will change in the future.
The startup driven environment at HATCH has helped us in many ways. From connecting like-minded and passionate individuals and hosting environment-related events that have really helped to spread the word on plastic pollution. Eco 360 is also a part of the ongoing Hatch Mentorship program that has given us a platform to access some of the top-level entrepreneurs both local and foreign to support us on our growth and our vision.
ECO 360’ is online on Facebook and they’re products are available at the Good market. You can contact Jihan Perera, Green Business Developer Manager at jihan@eco360.lk to know more
