Over the years, designers and producers have explored a variety of eco-friendly supplies equivalent to bamboo, cane, and wooden. Now, they’re agri-waste equivalent to rice husk and wheat straw are being changed into cutlery, planters, pet bowls, and extra. We discover three Bengaluru manufacturers working within the section:
Sippers and extra
It was a few yr in the past when Nipun Jain determined to assist sort out the rising disaster of single-use plastic air pollution. A former enterprise developent skilled, he launched Turtle Tales — drawing from the Olive Ridley turtle’s round journey again to its nesting seaside — with eco-conscious on a regular basis merchandise crafted from rice husk. “Our mission is to reduce the carbon footprint of individuals and communities by offering sustainable alternatives to everyday products,” says Nipun, the founder-CEO.
Mugs at Turtle Tales
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Today, they provide merchandise equivalent to cups, mugs, water bottles, and sippers of their vary referred to as HuskMade. These merchandise are made out of husk sourced from rice mills in Karnataka, and we “have plans to integrate directly with rice farmers within the next eight to 10 months”. This, Nipun says, will create a brand new income stream for farmers.

A journey sipper at Turtle Tales
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Elaborating on their different choices, Nipun explains how EcoScript has 100% recycled paper merchandise equivalent to notebooks, diaries, and stationery, and Optiknit options T-shirts and hoodies crafted from recycled supplies equivalent to polyester and cotton. As an agricultural by-product that usually goes to waste (typically by burning, releasing carbon emissions), utilising rice husk is a type of upcycling, he says. “This reduces the demand for virgin materials and our manufacturing processes for HuskMade products generally have a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional plastic production,” provides Nipun, “Having said that, these products are not marketed as fully compostable or biodegradable in a typical home composting setting. However, we are investigating the potential for 100% compostable granules for future HuskMade applications.” The workforce additionally provides a buy-back choice for the rice husk merchandise.
Now, Nipun is researching and creating 100% compostable granules derived from rice husk “for potential future product lines and investigating packaging solutions for large listed companies seeking sustainable alternatives”.
Products upwards of ₹100 on turtletales.eco/

A eating set for kids at Eha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Child-friendly cuppas
Eha’s journey as a model began through the pandemic years when founder Mahadev Chikkanna created bio-composite face shields. “This experience revealed that large corporations need more time to incorporate bio-composites into their supply chains. Individual consumers, however, were eager to adopt sustainable alternatives in their daily lives provided the quality matched conventional products at comparable prices,” says Mahadev, who now provides merchandise designed from crop waste equivalent to rice husk and forest waste like bamboo fibres and pine needles.

Planters made with rice husk at Eha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The rice husk vary includes drinkware (insulated espresso mugs, glasses, chai cups, water bottles), and tableware (serving bowls, curry bowls, storage containers, snack bowls, cutlery, storage jars, kid-friendly plates, and so on). “The carbon footprint of our bio-composite products is measurably lower than the products they replace. Additionally, our manufacturing process generates virtually zero material waste,” says Mahadev, who additionally provides closed-loop recycling programmes “where we collect used products for processing at our facility”.

A pet feeding bowl crafted at Eha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Currently, rice husk is sourced by Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and their know-how “can be extended to other agricultural waste streams such as rice and wheat straw”. This method, Mahadev says, has the potential to extend farmer earnings by efficient provide chain administration. “For context, each acre of rice or wheat cultivation yields about 1.5 tonnes of grain and 4.5 tonnes of crop waste. While farmers earn approximately ₹30 per kilogram for grain, our model can potentially generate an additional ₹5 per kilogram for crop waste that would otherwise be discarded or burned.”

Products at Eha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
With plans to launch extra new ‘home’ and ‘lifestyle’ classes, Mahadev additionally goals to make the adoption of bio-composite materials mainstream. “Our R&D continues to explore the use of crop-waste such as rice husk through bio-composite materials for packaging, construction, industrial applications, and automotive solutions. While we initially focused on decarbonising plastics, we’re now discovering opportunities to reduce or replace other carbon-intensive materials including ceramics, steel, and glass,” he says.
Products upwards of ₹300 on eha.eco/

A dinner set crafted with wheat straw at Irida Naturals
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Ramen bowls and brushes
For siblings Ibhatta Jayarama Sanjana Bhat and Sooraj Ibhatta Jayarama, their education at Krishnamurti Foundation of India laid a powerful basis for their relationship with the surroundings. “That foundation slowly shaped the belief that sustainability shouldn’t be a luxury. It should be part of daily life,” says Sanjana. In 2021, a number of months after she graduated faculty and a brief stint within the company world, the duo launched Irida Naturals with the intention of constructing that perception a actuality.
“We wanted to build a brand that made sustainability more accessible, through products that were practical, well-designed, and genuinely rooted in circular thinking,” she says of the model that crafts tableware, drinkware, and homeware from agricultural by-products like rice husk and wheat straw.

Chai cups crafted with rice husk at Irida Naturals
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Their rice husk-based merchandise equivalent to dinner plates, soup bowls, ramen bowls, cutlery, and so on. “are made for long-term, everyday use”. “By working with agricultural waste instead of fresh natural resources, we help reduce environmental extraction and directly lower CO₂ emissions,” provides Sanjana.
“Our products are not biodegradable, and that’s intentional,” she says, “Our rice husk products are heat and water resistant, and, at the end of their life, fully recyclable through standard plastic recycling streams.”

A bowl crafted with rice husk at Irida Naturals
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Explaining that the rice husk is sourced from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, she says the husk is first cleaned and floor right into a high quality powder. Then, it’s blended with plant-based binders and food-safe polymers to kind a sturdy, moldable materials. “This composite is used to manufacture our products through injection moulding: a process we’ve designed to minimise waste, recycle excess material, and operate efficiently at scale.” While these merchandise are “slightly more expensive” to fabricate than mass-produced plastic, when in comparison with premium wood alternate options, “our pricing is competitive”, she says.
Now, the duo are increasing their kitchen storage vary, and including organisers, eco-friendly pet equipment to their vary. “We’re also developing hybrid materials that combine rice husk with other natural fibres to enhance strength, design flexibility, and maintain recyclability,” Sanjana says.
Products upwards of ₹299 on iridanaturals.com
Published – June 05, 2025 09:39 am IST