Hi,

A big thanks to all of you who spared few minutes to read our journey.

We are a group of biotechnologists who took the initiative to add a small change and bring the world one step closer towards zero waste.

Herbo_tech started its journey in 2019 . It was in 2018 , the co-founders while completing their post-gradution projects realised that 35-45% of the bio-waste comes in form of food wastes. Fruit and vegetable peel wastes are one of the most common forms of food waste. The amount of peel waste generated by households, restaurants, and other food processing facilities is staggering.
Fruit and vegetable peels are the outermost layer of the fruit or vegetable, and are usually discarded during food preparation. Peels are generally high in fiber and can be used to make compost or animal feed. However, most of the peel waste generated is sent to landfills, where it takes up valuable space and releases methane gas into the atmosphere. According to a recent report, the United States alone produces over 4.5 million tons of fruit and vegetable peel waste every year. The citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and limes generate the most peel waste, followed by apples, bananas, and potatoes. As per the latest reports, citrus peel waste solely accounts for over 40% of total peel waste generated in India. It is important to note that not all peels are wasted. Some peels, such as citrus peels, can be used to make zest, which is a flavorful ingredient in many recipes. Other peels, such as potato peels, can be used to make chips or fries. However, the majority of peels are still discarded.

Fruit and vegetable peel waste has a significant impact on the environment. When peels are sent to landfills, they take up valuable space and release methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and is one of the leading causes of global warming. In addition to releasing methane gas, fruit and vegetable peel waste also contributes to water pollution. When peels decompose in landfills, they can leach harmful chemicals into nearby water sources. These chemicals can be toxic to wildlife and can contaminate drinking water supplies.

So, the co-founder Manleen Kaur and Raghav Jain together decided to start a new journey understanding this problem which is going to be a major cause for global warning in upcoming years. Together they decided to reuse these peel waste in three different sections which were :

1. Green Beauty
2. Sea plastic
3. Food films

After learning about the problem, the curiosity made them to form Herbo_tech in 2021 as a one step solution to all the basic need for human skin and home. So, we prepared our own formulations with a scientific approach but using the traditional knowledge about peel waste and the natural ingredients present in them.

Till date, we are able to formulate Skincare and home purification items like incense cones and sticks, aroma candles, scented wax melts, diffusers. Also,

Achievements :

1. Developed our own Eco-bag as an alternative to plastic bags from Banana peel wastes which can carry 15-20kg and is completely degraded in 90 bag span.

2.Devloped Eco-films for increasing the shelf life upto45 days of food items like butter from orange and potato peels.

3. Developed aromatic incense from floral and different peel wastes to generate various fragrances.

4. Formulated our own skincare products which are 100% natural, without any chemical and have a shelf life upto 12 months. These products are completely prepared from fruit and vegetable peel wastes only along with the certain natural oils like castor oil, almond oil, coconut oil etc.