Papaya straws – The fight by 2 Kerala Entrepreneurs against 8 billion Plastic straws per day

It is estimated that in US alone, 500 million plastic straws are used on a daily basis. Based on studies, we humans consume more than 8 billion plastic straws per day. It is not per year, unfortunately, it is per day! And most of these plastic straws end up in ocean.

Here is where Fariq and Previn’s entrepreneurship idea is going to revolutionize the way we use straws. They have invented “Papaya Straws”. These straws are eco-friendly, you don’t have to worry about polluting this earth by using these straws. Also, it has given value to something that has been thrown out in the past.

The papaya farmers have started earning money on the papaya leaf stems that they used to ignore earlier. This is a double benefit for the environment and for the farmers.

It is no wonder that Fariq and Previn were able to bag the “Second Runner up” award in the Tata Social Enterprise Challenge held at IIM Kolkata. It was an intense competition with thousands of innovators. Fariq and Previn winning this award is just a start to their social entrepreneurship journey.

Listen to their interesting life story, their future plans on this Malayalam Podcast. Their journey is filled with interesting twists and life lessons that any budding entrepreneur can learn from. Albeit their young age, these young Malayalee techies have a life full of wisdom to share with all. Happy listening.