Beco reposted this
Would you pay 10-20% extra just to be sustainable? Most people wouldn’t. And honestly, I don’t blame them. For years, sustainability has been wrongly positioned as a luxury—something only the privileged can afford. Think of an “eco-friendly” t-shirt for ₹2,000 or a greenwashed product with leafy designs on its packaging, priced at a premium. These aren’t solutions. They’re barriers that make sustainability feel inaccessible to the average Indian consumer. I’ve had countless conversations where people tell me: "Aditya, I’d love to buy sustainable products, but they’re just too expensive." But here’s the truth: sustainability was never meant to be expensive. Business recognised that more strongly even before consumers figured it out. Most businesses don’t embrace sustainability just because they “care about the planet.” They do it because it makes financial sense. Switching to solar energy lowers electricity costs by up to 90% over 25 years. Using recycled materials cuts raw material costs by 20-50%. Optimizing supply chains eliminates waste and saves millions in logistics. The biggest companies in the world aren’t going green because it’s trendy. They’re doing it because it works. Amazon’s Climate Pledge? Driven by cost-efficient supply chains. IKEA’s renewable energy investments? Saving them billions in the long run. Unilever’s sustainable brands? Growing 69% faster than the rest of their portfolio. Sustainability isn’t just a PR exercise—it’s a competitive advantage. And the irony is that India was always sustainable—we just forgot how to implement it in a way that stays relevant over time. Our grandparents reused glass bottles, carried cloth bags, and stored food in metal dabbas. Plastic-free, zero-waste living wasn’t a trend—it was common sense. They didn’t “buy into sustainability.” They practiced it. Then came plastic, disposables, and mass consumerism. Convenience took over, and suddenly, sustainability became a premium commodity instead of a default way of life. This needs to change. The real challenge isn’t price—it’s mindset. Sustainable products don’t need to be expensive. They need to be designed for affordability from day one. At BECO, we’ve built India’s largest homegrown sustainability brand by proving that eco-friendly, chemical-free and affordable can go hand in hand. We manufacture at scale by using ingredients from bamboo and coconut — renewable, cost-effective materials — not as an afterthought, and ensuring that sustainability is accessible to everyone, not just a privileged few. The truth is, if sustainability remains a luxury, it will never create a real impact. We don’t need overpriced “eco-friendly” products. What we need are practical, everyday solutions that people can actually afford. Sustainability isn’t an expense—it’s an investment in better design, better business, and a better future. It’s time we stop treating it as a marketing buzzword and start making it the default choice for everyone.