Textiles & Handcraft, India

Craste transforms crop waste into valuable, sustainable resources, focusing on developing tree-free, crop waste-derived paper products for packaging and ancillary industries.

Craste's business model revolves around providing sustainable packaging solutions. Their innovative approach utilises agricultural by-products to create tree-free packaging materials, reducing waste and promoting circularity in the agricultural industry. Their biodegradable, food-grade products cater to B2B companies seeking eco-friendly alternatives to traditional plastic and paper packaging while also offering R&D services for customised packaging solutions.

The company has two product portfolio lines, pulp and paper for the packaging industry made from 100% crop waste-derived paper and engineered green boards.

Social impact

• Providing employment to rural communities in India
• Partnering with women to work on the production of paper bags
• Training local women in the production of paper bags

Environmental impact

• Providing 100% biodegradable and recyclable products
• Reducing CO2 emissions by 62.5% compared to virgin paper production
• Reducing 1,13,880 kg of CO2 emissions by crop burning (2023)
• Upcycling 78,000 kg of crop residue (2023)

Economic impact

• Increasing secondary income of farmers in rural communities
• Offering affordable waste-derived paper packaging solutions which are 48.9% cheaper than virgin timber-based pulp