As the world marks International Women’s Day, India is at the centre of something extraordinary, a woman-powered green revolution that will alter the course of the future for the better. They’re not merely building companies, they are crafting solutions that recover the world, lift communities, and redefine the criteria for innovation. From eco-friendly architecture to renewable energy, they’re challenging the idea that entrepreneurship and sustainability are mutually exclusive.
From Tradition to Innovation: The Women Greening India
Women in India have long been traditionalists of sustainability, conserving water, fuel, and food with a natural conservation spirit. Today, they apply that knowledge to climate change startups with innovative, game-changing solutions.
Like Phool, founded by Ankit Agarwal and his mother, Rita Agarwal, in Kanpur. The social enterprise converts temple flower trash into biodegradable incense sticks, leaving the Ganga pollution-free and empowering rural women. In Gurugram, Vaishali Nigam Sinha, co-founder and Chief Sustainability Officer at ReNew Power, has led the company to become a renewable energy leader in India, energizing millions with wind and solar power.
Breaking Barriers, One Innovation at a Time
India’s green tech ecosystem is flourishing, and women are leading the charge. In 2024, environmental start-ups founded by women secured significant funding, shattering barriers in a decades-long male-dominated landscape. Their innovations are diverse as they are revolutionary.
Zerund’s founder, Richa Mukhia, produces biodegradable plastic bricks that are light in weight in Guwahati, transforming the construction industry. Bambrew by Vaibhav Anant, with the core operations being done by Rashi Agarwal, is reducing plastic waste through bamboo packaging that Amazon and Flipkart use. Priyanka Srinivas, founder of The Live Green Co., is transforming the food and cosmetics sectors by replacing synthetic ingredients with plant-based ones through AI on her platform Charaka in Chennai.
Where Ecology and Empowerment Intersect
These women are saving the world and changing lives, especially in rural and underserved communities. Saumya Kaushik, the founder of Revy Environmental Solutions in Ahmedabad, creates green technologies that convert waste into reusable resources and empowers women in rural Gujarat as micro-entrepreneurs.
In Sikkim, Rinzing Choden Bhutia operates Agapi, a sustainable farm stay that also operates an organic soap-making business with rural women as employees. Bandana Jain’s Sylvn Studio converts corrugated cardboard into fashionable furniture in Mumbai while empowering rural artisans.
Nidhi Pant is a co-founder of S4S Technologies, whose solar-powered dehydration units enable women farmers to convert excess crops into dried products, reducing waste and creating new income streams. Her efforts have been recognized globally, including being selected as a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer.
More Women, More Sustainable Innovations
The roll call of women leaders of India’s green revolution is increasing daily. Bengaluru-based entrepreneur of myHarvest Farms Archana Stalin takes organic food directly to urban consumers by linking smallholder women farmers. Jaipur-based Aarushi Kilawat’s The Loom Art renews handloom skills in a modern way through green fashion. Pune-based Ecokaari of Prerna Prasad converts plastic waste into handloom material to produce livelihood opportunities for low-income women.
Roadblocks on the Road to Sustainability
Even when they thrive, these women confront enormous challenges, funding gaps, gender discriminations, and scaling green enterprises in a frugal economy. Most bootstrap or depend on programs such as TechnoServe’s Greenr Sustainability Accelerator to support them. But their resilience is no different from the ecosystems they seek to protect.
A Call to Action: Support, Share, Sustain
This Women’s Day, let’s celebrate these changemakers by supporting their endeavours. Utilize Bambrew’s plastic-free packaging, build with Zerund’s green bricks, and shop at myHarvest Farms. Please share the word of their efforts, invest in their visions, and remember that every considerate decision fuels their effort.
From urban to rural areas across India, these women are weaving a legacy of renewal and resilience. There is a clear message: sustainability is not merely saving the planet, it’s about making others stronger and imagining an alternative future. And today, their fire burns brighter than ever before.
