Satat Kutumb is the idea of providing sustainable products to everyone at affordable prices. In a country like India, the idea of sustainability must be brought forth in a way that is easy to understand and doesn't feel like rocket science to laymen. Satat Kutumb, which means 'sustainable world' in Sanskrit, is trying to make sustainability easier for everyone. We provide day-to-day eco-friendly alternatives that can make a big impact on our quest to become a carbon-neutral nation by the year 2070 as pledged by the government of India.
Who are the founders? Please explain a little about them.
I, Abhinav Shukla, am the only founder of Satat Kutumb. I am born and bought up in Lucknow and Study Hall and Bharti Vidyapeeth, Pune, are my alma maters. Along with Satat Kutumb, currently, I am managing the sales unit of the food division of my family-based FMCG brand 'Meghdoot'. It is a small-scale industry brand that operates all over India. Environmentalist David Attenborough has been a big inspiration for me and I hope I ever get a chance to meet him. A line from his book 'A Life on Our Planet' has been a great inspiration for me for creating a brand like Satat Kutumb. He says, "If we do not act now, our future generation will suffer from catastrophes that were grown and nurtured by our acts of negligence towards planet Earth".
What is a very specific problem that your brand is solving?
Satat Kutumb is providing day-to-day alternatives for harmful and single-use plastic products. Around 35% of total waste across the globe contains single-use plastic. Our goal is to make an effort to reduce that percentage as much as possible.
What were/are the difficulties and challenges being faced by you and your brand?
Our brand faces two major problems. Firstly, the idea of sustainability is still a very first-world issue, and making this issue inclusive for everyone is still a paradigm shift that we have not achieved yet. Secondly and most importantly, the pricing. In a country like India where a plastic toothbrush costs around Rs. 15 and a pack of plastic pens costs around Rs. 10, making people purchase a Rs. 70 bamboo toothbrushes and to make them spend Rs. 85 for a pack of 5 biodegradable pens still feels like a herculean task. But we have tried to make our prices more affordable than our competitive brands.
What is your brand offering?
We offer eco-friendly and biodegradable products such as bamboo toothbrushes, eco-friendly paper-made pens and pencils, stainless steel and bamboo straws, handmade clay water bottles, and many more such eco-friendly products.
Did your brand and products make any contribution to the society/ environment/ culture/ community?
If yes, please highlight the same.
Our brand's outline and goal present a clear idea of our brand's contribution to the environment. As far as culture is concerned, redeveloping the traditional 'Mitti ka Ghada' into a more easy and handy form of utensil like a water bottle has helped to create awareness about the culture of the villages of our great country. The pandemic has been a tough time for many people in India, especially during the second wave, last year. To give back to the community, we contributed 100% of our sales revenue for the month of April and May to the NGOs which were helping people with medical and food supplies during the tough second wave of the pandemic.
How do you see your brand contributing to the world in the years to come?
Well, our main contribution through Satat Kutumb was, is, and will always be creating awareness about sustainability. Period.
What would you like to say to the next GEN of creators?
Listen more, speak (or crib) less. Learn each and every day. And most importantly, love and empathy must be your driving force to work hard in life.
