Photo courtesy RestoreDo you ever wonder what happens to all our shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, and body wash bottles after we finish using them? Unfortunately, most of them end up in a nearby landfill. Only a very small amount is recycled.
During the financial year of 2019-2020, India generated a whopping 34 lakh tonnes of plastic waste. The Indian Ministry of Environment stated that our plastic waste increased by more than 10 lakh tonnes compared to 2017-18. So what can we do about it? Truth be told it is almost impossible to cut out plastic from your life completely, but there are few ways you can reduce how much you consume and Restore is one such way.
Restore, as the name suggests, is a brand that is on a mission to restore the planet through its sustainable packaging models that every Indian was once all too familiar with— refilling and reusing! The online marketplace was started in March 2021 and is currently operating in and around Mumbai. The platform offers you the chance to shop from some amazing Made in India brands that provide you with all your hair, body, face and home needs sustainably.
Photo courtesy RestorePrateek Gupte, the founder of Restore, worked in the tech sector making AI chatbots but wasn’t fulfilled with what he was doing. The issue of plastic waste was something that had always been at the back of his mind. He originally thought that the problem lay in the recycling method and wanted to introduce a technology system to help to make the kabadiwalas more efficient. After speaking to several of the kabadiwalas around where he stays in Mumbai, he soon learnt where all the garbage they collected went and what really happened to it.
He explains, “Recycling is actually downcycling. The plastic is converted to lower and lower grade materials until it cannot be recycled anymore. It is just a long cut to the landfill.” Upon seeing the truth of our recycling system, Prateek knew that something had to change. “What seemed even more crazy was that we were throwing away perfectly fine items. All the packaging materials of bottles are not physically unfit in anyways,” says Prateek. This eye-opening insight into our recycling system made Prateek wonder why we weren’t applying our iconic dabbawalla system with glass bottles instead. And that is where the genesis of Restore, as we see it today, came from.
Prateek and the team at Restore initially launched the Restore line of products as a proof of concept in March. They wanted to see if the refill model had any demand and if it was viable before approaching any brands. They launched a hand-made, fair trade certified hand wash and body wash made by an all-women NGO in Ushagram, and the response was amazing. Customers loved the products, and the Restore line has only been growing since.
Photo courtesy RestoreRestore then took the next step and partnered with sustainable Indian companies such as Vilvah, Rustic Art, Bare Necessities to name a few, where they directly implement the refill process. They work with brands right from design to fulfilment. If the companies package their product in single-use bags or non-reusable packaging, Restore designs an alternative packaging for them from aluminium, glass or stainless steel. The aluminium bottles are specially treated to handle products and manufactured for Restore. The labels are also remade to either be screen printed or are reusable labels that last multiple washes.
When you finish using the shampoo, conditioner or hand wash that you ordered through Restore, all you have to do is send them a message and they will come to pick up the bottle or container to refill it for you. Once the empty bottle is picked up they run it through their cleaning machine that sanitizes it for reuse. Restore is wholly focused on reducing its carbon footprint in whatever way it can, and one way they do so is by delivering new orders and picking up empty bottles on the same route.
Photo courtesy RestorePrateek and the team at Restore believe that their refill and reuse model can be applied to several different categories of consumables such as food, alcoholic beverages, edible oils, milk etc. “Our next stage will be all about perfecting the operations for personal care and home care products and expanding to more cities by early next year. We definitely look to expand to other categories in the future as well,” says Prateek.
While Restore mainly features smaller sustainable India brands, they would love to work with companies of all sizes. They are already in talks with larger FMCG players for India so that they can offer their customers a wide variety of products across all sorts of price points. If you’re interested in checking out Restore’s products click here!
Written By Jessica Albuquerque,
Week 39, October 2021
