Providing eco-friendly alternatives to petrochemical detergents using Soapnuts
They train women in sustainable harvesting of soapnuts, a local fruit rich in Saponins, a biosurfactant that can be used to manufacture cleaning products. Soapnuts are processed at the company’s pilot plant to extract Saponins using a patentable enzymatic process. Extracts are then formulated into organic and eco-friendly cleaning products.
The enterprise offers a ‘buy-back guarantee’ to marginalised women from indigenous forest communities in the ecologically sensitive areas in Himalayas to procure soapnuts at prices that are 600% higher than those offered by local traders.
The Forest Department of the local government helps them identify partially deforested areas within the forest range and introduces them to the local communities.
Village Forest Committee decides whether the villagers would like to participate in their program. Sometimes they provide the members with basic infrastructure, such as warehouse.
The SEED Low Carbon Awards 2021 in Ghana, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Thailand and Uganda are sponsored by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).