Meet the Circular Economy Leaders: Bare Necessities Zero Waste Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

We, at Circular Economy Catalyst, are thrilled to present “Circular Economy Leaders” - a brand-new articles series to feature some of the most exciting circular enterprises and let them share about their unique vision, approach and stories.

Sahar Mansoor, Founder & CEO of Bare Necessities Zero Waste Solutions Pvt. Ltd., has shared with us about her personal journey and the vision of the enterprise, which ultimately leads to the circular economy. Bare Necessities is an example of an exciting and successful female-lead enterprise that offers natural personal, lifestyle, and home care products. Their team handcrafts their products using ethically, locally, and naturally sourced ingredients.

Transforming Personal Experience into a New Brand

Sahar Mansoor shared her story of evolving in understanding waste issues, transitioning from perceiving it merely as an environmental concern to recognising its deep-rooted social justice implications, particularly in India. 

Working with waste pickers in Bangalore, Sahar Mansoor witnessed the harsh realities of their daily tasks and decided to actively contribute to a solution. Motivated by a desire to align personal values with lifestyle choices, she embarked on a zero-waste journey, which she finds herself on now. Frustrated by the overwhelming environmental impact of commonplace items like toothbrushes, Sahar Mansoor founded Bare Necessities, an eco-friendly enterprise dedicated to zero waste, ethical consumption, and sustainability. 

Drawing inspiration from successful circular economy models globally, the CEO of Bare Necessities emphasizes the importance of embracing such approaches in various industries.

“All of these inspired us to champion innovative, waterless and plastic packaging-free monthly necessities sold in a seamless subscription system. It is a refreshing celebration of circular economy in action rather than the traditional (use and throw) linear approach. Circular models such as the one Bare Necessities is championing is the need of the hour for it re-imagines a cleaner, greener and more just world”, says Sahar Mansoor.

In order to implement such vision Bare Necessities, as any new enterprise with new ideas, has faced a number of challenges. However, Sahar Mansoor points out that the power of peer sharing is very important, as other female entrepreneurs were very opened in helping her learn and overcome difficulties, as she shares:

“Fellow women entrepreneurs have been extremely generous with sharing their insights and their experiences. This candid sharing of learnings and challenges, have helped me understand the challenges of running a business and has helped ensure we don't make the same mistakes.”

Zero-Waste Lifestyle of Bare Necessities

Bare Necessities has been formed with the idea of promoting a zero-waste lifestyle. In 2022 Bare Necessities launched a waterless alternatives range of home care products, which included a hand wash and a dishwash soap. In 2023 this range was expanded to include a multi surface cleaner soap.

Bare Necessities is PETA Certified and is working on receiving BCorp and EcoCert Certification, as they believe that obtaining these certifications will further showcase their commitment to sustainability, enhancing our credibility.

The team remains ambitious in further expending its line of waterless home care and dental care product, as well as an existing line of zero waste personal care products and even has larger ambitions for the next 5 to 10 years.

“In the future, Bare Necessities seeks to become an interdisciplinary hub, a home for product designers to design products with a cradle to cradle philosophy, a place for policy analysts to work with local government on policy recommendations to manage our waste better, to reduce our waste. A place for behavior economics, ecologists, researchers and consumers alike to build the ecosystem towards a circular economy,” states Sahar Mansoor.

Bright Future and Building the Lush of India

Sahar Mansoor believes that India is currently in a strong position to generate new business and employment opportunities, tapping into sectors such as recycling, repair and refurbishment, which are still fairly niche at the moment, as the economic growth in the country is significant.

Bare Necessities is working hard on contributing to building a better tomorrow in India and Sahar Mansoor is optimistic, as she holds a strong conviction that they will be able to further extend their efforts, increase visibility, product line, and contribute to the environment through various projects.

“We are building the Lush of India and on track to divert 500 Kilograms of plastic in 2025. By creating zero waste alternatives to conventionally toxin formulated and plastic packaged personal care products, we are addressing the largest global garbage of our lifetime.  Thereby, bringing innovation in an industry that has not seen any in the past 30 years. Bare Necessities has made it easy for consumers to opt for eco-friendly choices, paving the way for conscious consumerism”, concludes Sahar Mansoor.