For a few decades now, plastic has been the most commonly used material in packaging. These materials are made from expensive petroleumbased derivatives and are one of the major polluters of the environment. According to a study from UAE's Ministry of Environment and Water, a whopping 11 billion plastic bags are used annually. Most of the plastics pollute the land and water bodies. When plastic garbage is disposed of, hazardous chemicals cause the soil to lose fertility and when it is burned, toxic gases are released that are bad for the environment. Due to the chemicals and toxins present, recycling plastic waste is a temporary fix. Therefore, alternative packaging that is eco-friendly with a focus on protecting the environment is required to tackle this problem.

Ranjitha Raghavan, an environment enthusiast brings an end to this plastic-based packaging issue with her ‘Back to Nature’ firm. As the Founder of Back to Nature, Ranjitha is on a mission to put an end to plastic consumption and global waste by switching to sustainable alternatives.

The company is a proud manufacturer of an innovative product called cassava bags, a great sustainable alternative to conventional plastic carrier bags. Cassava bags have anti-static properties and contain no petrochemicals that harm the environment. It is made out of plant starch and oil, which is compostable within months. It can be reused multiple times and performs well under high dry load. The company got selected as the eco-friendly food service packaging company for their catering during the UAE EXPO 2020 exhibition in 2021.

In this interview with Women Entrepreneur magazine, Ranjitha Raghavan, the Founder of Back to Nature talks about her journey, mission and vision.

Can you give a brief overview about your education and professional background?

I have completed my engineering in Electronics and Communications and I also have an EMBA certification. I always had business management skills in my veins. I knew I was meant for something different. When the opportunity arose, I was able to launch a business with a colleague who had more experience than I had, but he needed backing. Having come from an engineering background, I always had the attention to details. I was successfully able to take that company to an amazing level by taking care of the entire operations, project, sales and marketing, in a span of eight years. The vast experience working with my colleague gave me an inspiration to start something on my own four years back, and this led to the establishment of Back to Nature.

What motivated you to establish Back to Nature?

It all began four years ago over a dinner; I was sitting along with my family discussing about start-ups and ideas to start something on my own. That’s when I noticed that all the food we ordered from outside were delivered to us in plastic containers. Plastic has become a constant element in our lives. It's everywhere: product packaging, cosmetic ingredients, textiles, mobile phones, and more. Its omnipresence is such that many would find the mere fact of giving it up a difficult task. Reducing the consumption of plastics therefore requires not only a change in habits, but also a change of mindset. Hence, we started researching on reducing plastic consumption and realized there are a few options available in the world. Inventions are there, but it's not really brought into the market. I got in touch with industry experts and was introduced to several amazing technologies which helped me start my own venture.

The whole idea is to give back to the nature, by making products from the materials readily available in nature, which are not exhausting or harming the environment. Back to Nature caters mainly to restaurant chains, hotels, catering services and supermarkets with biodegradable packaging products sourced from India and China and made from agro-waste and renewable resources like sugarcane bagasse and bamboo pulp. Currently, Back to Nature has started manufacturing of eco-friendly foodservice packaging and plastic-free single-use bags made from cassava, that are primarily used by retailers, ecommerce and hotels.

"Back to nature has started manufacturing of eco-friendly foodservice packaging & plastic-free single-use bags made from cassava, that are primarily used by retailers, ecommerce & hotels"

What are the various roles and responsibilities that you shoulder as the founder of the company?

My primary focus is to lead the growth of the company. As a founder, I have to wear a lot of hats from execution to business development and marketing. My core responsibilities also include setting and executing the organization's strategy, allocating capital, and building and overseeing the executive team. I’m also involved in making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources. I also take part in introducing high quality products, business strategies and plans ensuring their alignment with short-term and long-term objectives.

What are some of the significant challenges you've encountered as a leader and how did you overcome those challenges?

One of the main challenges is definitely being in sustainable space, which is still pretty new in the market. We are putting great efforts to bring about a change in the way businesses or customers operate. Creating awareness and encouraging businesses to transition from current practices to sustainable practices is another challenge as they are reluctant for change.

As a business leader, what advice would you give to the budding and young women entrepreneur?

I think firstly what I have seen is most people wait to get the motivation to follow their dreams. Instead, they must endeavor to employ a disciplined method or approach as early as possible, or at a very young age, to everything they desire to accomplish. So, in order to succeed in anything, I believe that having focus and discipline is crucial. And since running a business is all about communicating with various individuals, empathy is really important as well. They should continue to develop their communication skills, empathy, and sincerity in all of their interactions with others.

Ranjitha Raghavan, Founder, Back To Nature

An entrepreneur who is brave enough to invest in Saving the Planet - who wants to make a difference in this world, and hence started a business that encourages the use of ecofriendly foodservice packaging and single-use bags in UAE. An engineer by qualification, Ranjitha moved on to a sustainability-centric business that focuses on alternates to singleuse plastic, as she believes the world needs more businesses that care about our planet than about profits.