Home-grown Sustainable Brands to look out for in 2025

With enterprises taking sustainability seriously, green business is no longer just a keyword. Whether sourcing fair-trade raw materials, creating a circular value chain, giving employment opportunities to locals, or reducing net zero emissions, these enterprises are going full throttle to ensure we do not need another planet, reviews Ketki Gadre.

Sustainable Brands

No Nasties

No Nasties represents the perfect blend of style and sustainability, offering expressive and ethically responsible fashion. The brand is dedicated to making climate-conscious choices fashionable, ensuring its products are committed to trendsetting design and environmental stewardship. True to its name, No Nasties promises that its items are free from harmful components—no genetically modified seeds, carcinogenic pesticides, toxic dyes, or unethical business practices are involved in their production.

The brand is one of the pioneering Indian enterprises that prioritizes transparency and offers detailed information about its supply chain. It uses soft and sustainable materials, such as 100% organic cotton terry fabric. Moreover, every product includes detailed information on its environmental impact—highlighting its carbon footprint, carbon offset, and water savings—all easily accessible on the website alongside each product description.

The brand aims to create a consumer movement encouraging conscious choices for a better future. No Nasties has been certified by PETA, Good on You, and Green Story, and their factories are Fairtrade-certified.

About the Founder:

Apurva Kothari founded No Nasties in 2011. With a background in software engineering, Apurva transitioned into the ethical fashion space after recognizing the devastating environmental and social impacts of conventional fashion. Under his guidance, the company has championed using sustainable materials, ethical labour practices, and environmental impact awareness. Apurva’s vision extends beyond fashion, as he is a strong advocate for fair-trade principles and a circular economy, aiming to positively impact both people and the planet.

Website: https://www.nonasties.in/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonasties/

Coco Leni

Coco Leni is a luxury eyewear brand celebrating craftsmanship, sustainability, and timeless design. Their mission is to revive the art of handcrafted eyewear, offering custom and ready-to-wear designs that seamlessly blend traditional artistry with modern aesthetics.

From sourcing materials to packaging, there is attention to sustainability in the entire value chain. Coco Leni uses sustainable materials like eco-friendly wood, bamboo, ethically sourced buffalo horn, and renewable acetate. Their frames are made from plant-based bio-acetate, which is biodegradable and has a lighter environmental impact than petroleum-based plastics. Each eyewear is handcrafted by local women artisans, empowered with financial independence and mobility. The final product is then carefully packaged in a vegan leather case with a cleaning cloth.

The brand stands for authenticity, ethical production, and superior quality, all while contributing to the global recognition of Indian luxury eyewear.

About the Founder:

Arjun Sagar, the visionary behind Coco Leni Design House, brings over 15 years of experience in the optical industry, combined with a lifelong passion for design and Craftsmanship. Along with Matthias Haase, a German eyewear craftsman and optometrist who has worked in the same workshop since 1981, Arjun sought to merge the robust work ethics of German craftsmanship with Indian artistry.

Website: https://cocoleni.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocoleni/

Mission Penpals

Mission Penpals is the world’s first and most efficient waste plastic pen management company. The traditional plastic pen, a seemingly innocuous office essential, harbours a dark secret—contributing significantly to the global plastic pollution crisis. Over the world, over 60 billion plastic pens are used and thrown in a year. These waste plastic pens are not collected at the source, hence are not recycled, and they are irresponsibly disposed of, causing air, water & soil pollution. Mission PenPals aims to create a “Litter–Free, Literate World,” one waste pen at a time.

Mission Penpals engages corporates, schools, and universities, encouraging participants to collect and responsibly recycle their used pens, markers, and other writing materials. The collected items are repurposed or sent to specialized recycling facilities to reduce plastic waste.

With education, awareness, collection, and recycling, Mission Penpals offers green alternatives such as biodegradable paper pens and encourages everyone to use refillable pens.

About the Founders:

Mission PenPals is an initiative under WAY- Everything Connects Foundation. It was founded by Wricha Johari and Prakshal Mehta in 2009 when they turned their crazy late-night ideas into initiatives to become a successful social enterprise. Both of them are Global Shapers, a global young leaders’ community at the World Economic Forum, Geneva, and they have been awarded the Gandhi Change Award in 2014 at Shape South Asia by the Global Shapers Community, Asia-Pacific Region.

Website: https://missionpenpals.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missionpenpals/

Supernova by One Athletics

Supernova by One Athletics is a high-performance body spray deodorant for men and women formulated with probiotic extracts. It offers a refreshing blend of bergamot and patchouli, tailored for those with an active lifestyle. This modern deodorant promotes a healthier microbiome, naturally helping to eliminate odour-causing bacteria. Free from harmful ingredients like aluminium, parabens, and sulphates, Supernova allows the body to sweat naturally without blocking pores or triggering unpleasant smells. It’s ideal for staying fresh and odour-free, even during intense workouts or heavy sweating.

About the Founders

Founded by Advaite & Martin in 2024, they are the best combination of enhancing well-being through innovative products. Advaite, with his fascination with probiotics – understanding their role in gut health and applying that science to neutralize odour—led to Supernova, a breakthrough in deodorant technology for athletes. As an athlete and fitness enthusiast, Martin brings invaluable insights into developing products that meet the unique needs of an active lifestyle. Frustrated by the lack of personal care products designed for athletes – and the poor-quality ingredients in most options – he realized that traditional deodorants and antiperspirants hinder natural sweating, which is crucial for active individuals.

Website: https://www.oneathletics.in/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneathletics_official/

EcoKaari

EcoKaari is a social enterprise founded to foster community-driven, sustainable development that benefits both people and the environment. “EcoKaari” symbolises the close connection between artisans and the natural world. This reflects the brand’s belief in the interdependence of craftsmanship and environmental sustainability, which has long been the foundation of India’s rich handicraft heritage.

EcoKaari upcycles waste plastic into unique, handcrafted fabrics using traditional tools like the Charkha (spindle) and Handloom. These fabrics are handwoven by women and young artisans from humble backgrounds, providing them with meaningful employment and skill development opportunities. By blending traditional Indian craftsmanship with modern, upcycled materials, EcoKaari offers sustainable alternatives in the form of contemporary designs while adhering to principles of upcycling, material optimization, and waste reduction that have been part of India’s artisanal practices for millennia.

About the Founder:

Nandan Bhat founded EcoKaari, a social enterprise he established in 2020. With over a decade of experience in business development, procurement, and project management, Nandan became acutely aware of the environmental harm caused by waste plastic, particularly from items like carry bags and food wrappers. After witnessing the rising plastic pollution problem, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, he was inspired to create EcoKaari as a solution. His goal was to address the plastic waste crisis and provide meaningful employment opportunities to women with skills but limited formal education, empowering them through sustainable craftsmanship.