Beco, a Mumbai-based direct-to-consumer (D2C) sustainable home and personal care brand, launched a Tetra-Pak refill solution for home care products. 94 per cent plastic free, with only the lid and the leakage-proof lining having plastic components, it presents a sustainable alternative to plastic refill pouches, commonly used for laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, and other cleaning solutions. 

Established in 2019 by Aditya Ruia, Akshay Varma, and Anuj Ruia, Beco addresses the environmental degradation caused by packaged consumer goods. India produces 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. This number has doubled in the last five years. 

This is mainly attributable to the unrecyclable product packaging solutions across the board. The challenge is pervasive in the non-food grade segment, where plastic containers have become the default packaging option.  

Taking this problem head-on, Beco’s Tetra-Pak is a naturally derived product. Available as a 1-litre refill pack, it has a 36 per cent lower carbon footprint than products derived from polymers. 

Commenting on the product launch, Aditya Ruia, co-founder of Beco, said, “The singular focus of our approach at Beco has been on finding ways to reduce plastic use and thereby eliminate the destructive impact of single-use plastics.” While plastic bottles and pouches take as many as 450 years to decompose, Beco claimed that its Tetra-Pak takes five years. The company estimates that if three million households replace even one plastic bottle with this product, the carbon emissions could be reduced by 50 per cent over its life cycle. 

“Our mission is to make sustainability convenient for Indian consumers by providing them with innovative alternatives for daily use products. Our Tetra-Pak refill is one such step in our effort to render India a plastic-free nation,” Ruia added.   

Mumbai-based Beco develops and manufactures 100 per cent natural and plastic and chemical-free consumer goods in the kitchen, home and personal care space. Backed by actor and climate warrior Dia Mirza, it recently raised $3 million in its Series A round led by Rukam Capital along with investors like Priyavrata Mafatlal, Better Capital, Prashant Pittie and Titan Capital. The funding also witnessed the participation of several celebrities championing the cause of sustainability including actors Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Bhumi Pednekar and cricketer Rohit Sharma. 

“Primarily used for packaging food grade products like juices and milk, the TetraPak is an exceptionally environmentally friendly way to transport liquids. We believe it can be extended to the home cleaner space dominated by plastic packaging. Innovation in packaging, design and product is the need of the hour as we build a greener India”, said Umang Sood, creative director of Beco.