The year was 2018, when Mahbub Sumon decided to do his bit for the environment. Along with his three friends, this young climate activist from Bangladesh founded Shalbrikhkho, a Bangladeshi startup that aims at helping people reuse, reduce and recycle daily-use products. Two of Mahbub's projects -- BONKAGOJ and plastic from potatoes (POLKA) -- have already caught the attention of thousands across social media platforms. Mahbub opened up about his work in an interview with UNB. Q. What motivated you to work on renewable energy and eco-friendly alternatives? While doing some basic research on the alternative power sector and renewable energy prospects, I figured out climate change as the biggest crisis for the human race. For environmental sustainability, I soon started working on a couple of ideas like natural agriculture for cities and alternative sources of energy. Soon I focussed on developing eco-friendly alternatives to various plastic products. I experimented with permaculture using BONKAGOJ and succeeded. The principle was -- since paper is made from trees, we can use that paper to grow a tree again. I also developed POLKA (plastics from potatoes) as an alternative to polyethene. I am also experimenting with different innovative projects in the renewable energy sector and alternative eco-friendly lifestyle changes. Read Jute: The Greenest Alternative to Plastic Bags Q. What is BONKAGOJ? BONKAGOJ, a biodegradable product, is made from recycled paper and embedded with different plant seeds. It's a handmade paper that can be used like any other ordinary paper. But after its use, if anyone puts the paper in a soggy pot, a flower garden will sprout from it within weeks. Worldwide billions of trees are chopped down every year, many for producing paper. Single-use paper and paper products pollute cities. So, I harped on the idea of turning waste papers into a flower garden to save the environment. Read BUILD explores producing paper pulp from whole jute plant

EcoVia, a biodegradable plastic manufacturing startup, is working to combat plastic pollution by offering environmentally friendly alternatives. The organization uses plant-based waste, such as apparel and paper waste, to make bioplastics. Plastic is responsible for polluting water bodies and soil, and for disrupting the ecological balance. The main reason behind this destruction is the non-biodegradable nature of plastic. One plastic bottle takes 450 years to decompose if left on the earth or ocean. However, biodegradable products take much less time to decompose and do not harm the ecological balance.  Also read: Jute: The Greenest Alternative to Plastic Bags Moreover, with each kilogram of plastic produced, 6 kg carbon is released into the environment, leading to an increase in global warming. So, a group of three came together in 2019 to launch EcoVia to fight plastic pollution. They developed new products but were not satisfied with what they achieved. Finally, the group came up with the idea of making cellulosic bioplastic from cotton-based garments wastage. However, they did not have any capital to establish the company.  The group invested their money from part-time work, pocket money, prize money from small-scale business competitions into their startup. They scoured the market to identify the feasibility and viability of the product.  Also read: BYLC Ventures holds virtual entrepreneurship bootcamp The trio put in all their effort, time, and resources into this project. Finally, it bore fruit when they were able to prove that per kilogram of their bioplastic product would save around 5.5 kg of carbon footprint, as the product completely decomposes in a matter of 150 days. Through their impactful idea, they achieved success in multiple business and entrepreneurial competitions. They were elected as one of the South Asian regional winners of Climate Launchpad as well as being selected as one of the winners of cohort 1 of BYLC Ventures.  These competitions gave them a decent runway to operate on but they are constantly striving towards improving their product and gaining funds to grow their company. "The world is becoming more aware and cautious of climate change and plastic pollution. So, fortunately, the acceptance and demand for products like EcoVia are on the rise," Rashik Hassan, co-founder of EcoVia, said. "We are always trying to improve our existing product and also wish to introduce new product lines as well as ensure good revenue for our investors."  Read Global Youth Climate Summit 2021 urges pressing actions to combat climate change