Crop burning in Punjab and Haryana and the subsequent rise in air pollution in Delhi and its surrounding areas have been gaining international attention every year. In November 2023, when the air quality in Delhi and its surrounding areas reached ‘hazardous’ levels, the Supreme court of India directed the authorities of Punjab and Haryana, to stop farmers from burning agricultural waste. According to the government air-quality monitoring agency SAFAR, stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana accounts for 30 per cent to 40 per cent of air pollution in Delhi in October-November.
So much that the resulting “toxic clouds” are visible from space. Founded by Shubham Singh and Dr. Himansha Singh, Indian startup Craste helps prevent these toxic clouds by buying the stubble from farmers and creating products like organic packaging and furniture materials. Craste completed the Stanley + Techstars accelerator in 2019.
Crop residue — the stubble that remains after crops are harvested — needs to be disposed of before the next growing season. For farmers in India, the cheapest and fastest way to clear the soil for the next crop is to burn last season’s remains, but this process creates major environmental repercussions.
Founder of Craste
Shubham Singh is the CEO and Co-founder of Craste, a company dedicated to creating a sustainable future through innovative materials and circular economy practices. His journey into social entrepreneurship began when he was selected as a fellow for the Social Innovation Immersion Programme in 2017, a prestigious fellowship conceptualized under BIRAC and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. Shubham’s remarkable work with Craste has garnered recognition on numerous platforms, earning him accolades such as the BIRAC SOCH Innovation Challenge Award and the Millennium Alliance Award. He is an alumnus of Pitch at Palace, an initiative endorsed by the Duke of York, and had the privilege of being in the audience of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at St James’s Palace. Dedicated to making a positive impact on society, Shubham’s commitment to social causes began at a young age. At just 19, he founded the non-profit organization Gramiksha, which has since transformed the lives of underprivileged children and expanded its presence to six cities within two years of its inception. Shubham holds a Masters in Advanced Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London. He is also a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship, climate change, and education, and is a TEDx speaker.
The best solution, says Craste CEO and Cofounder Shubham Singh, is to harness the full potential of the crop waste itself. Farmers need to dispose of this material, but rather than burning it, they can sell it to Craste, which uses the stubble to create value-added products like organic packaging and furniture materials. The company name itself, Craste, is a portmanteau of “crop” and “waste. With this venture, we are not only helping to curb carbon emissions, but we are also providing a new, readily available, cheaper alternative to timber in the wood-dependent industry and, thus, also saving trees, says Craste COO and Cofounder Dr. Himansha Singh. “Craste fosters the circular economy with benefits for farmers (by raising their income), the environment (by saving trees and reducing pollution) and the consumer (by creating eco-friendly products).”
A Better Place for the Next Genration
India generates 500 million tons of crop residue each year, yet this is a raw material which is overlooked, Shubham says. Crop stubble has struggled to gain momentum over recycled and virgin wood due to high levels of silica as well as the seasonability of the supply. Craste has developed innovative techniques to use multiple varieties of crops — including high silica content based crops like paddy — to develop products with high-quality properties. These products include tree-free pulp for flexi packaging and moulded pulp products to replace single-use plastic. In addition, Craste is developing formaldehyde-free particle boards for furniture and construction projects.
They says,“We want to see a world with tree-free products, so we are only dependent on living trees rather than cutting them down. Our initiative is to foster circular manufacturing so we can cater to our needs without destroying the planet. Craste took part in the 2019 class of the STANLEY+Techstars Accelerator, and the startup worked directly with accelerator partner Stanley Black & Decker to create sustainable packaging. The team is currently designing clam-shell packaging that will help the corporation to reach plastic-free. “As a startup working with an enterprise, it has been very enriching. Post-accelerator, Craste is engaged in a pilot with Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, to help achieve its circular packaging goals. Through this pilot, AB InBev barley farmers can earn a secondary income by selling their barley waste to Craste. “We use this waste to create sustainable six-pack boxes for AB InBev.
Helping Corporations Reach” Plastic Free”
Once the pilot is complete, Craste hopes to work with AB InBev to plan a long-term partnership to help the corporation reach its sustainability goals. According to Shubham, both AB InBev and Stanley Black & Decker have signed the “The Plastics Pact” with the Ellen McArthur Foundation to move toward a circular economy for plastic, including eliminating unnecessary or single use plastic packaging by 2025. “Stanley Black & Decker is excited to continue collaborating with clever startups like Craste,” says Mark Maybury, Chief Technology Officer at Stanley Black & Decker, “As we work to create a more sustainable future where plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable.”
“Leaving a better place for the next generation is important,” Himansha says. “We want to contribute towards making that step towards a better future. After all, if we want to sustain, shouldn’t we be sustainable?”
