Good Garbage with Ved Krishna

Hello, hello! 

In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Vaibhav Anand, Founder & CEO of Bambrew, to unpack how sustainable packaging is being redefined in India through innovation in biodegradable materials and scalable design.

From building solutions for milk packaging to creating high-barrier compostable films, Vaibhav shares his journey from Jharkhand to leading one of India’s most exciting climate-tech startups. With deep insights into materials science, circular economy systems, and startup realities, this episode bridges the gap between sustainability theory and real-world execution.

🎙️ What This Episode Explores
This conversation goes beyond buzzwords like eco-friendly, biodegradable, and green packaging and dives into the real challenges of building sustainable alternatives that actually work at scale.
From flexible packaging and bioplastics to meta materials and compostable films, Vaibhav explains why the future of packaging isn’t about replacing plastic blindly—but about designing smarter, context-driven solutions.

If you’ve ever wondered:
- Can biodegradable packaging truly replace plastic in India?
- What makes milk packaging so difficult to innovate?
- How do startups scale sustainable materials in a price-sensitive market?

This episode answers it practically and honestly.

🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn
• Why sustainable milk packaging is a massive opportunity in India
• The science behind high-barrier compostable films
• What “meta materials” and “material agnosticism” really mean
• How COVID accelerated product innovation in climate-tech
• The biggest challenges in scaling eco-friendly packaging
• Why mindset and systems are as important as materials
• The role of bioplastics like PBAT in flexible packaging
• How Bambrew is building solutions for a circular economy

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Vaibhav Anand and Bambrew
00:43 The importance of sustainable milk packaging in India
04:26 Early influences and journey into ecopreneurship
10:04 Vaibhav's entrepreneurial ventures before Bambrew
14:03 Impact of COVID-19 on Bamboo's product development
18:26 Development of home compostable mailers during pandemic
22:14 Meet the co-founder Kunal and their collaboration
24:03 Bambrew's core innovation: high barrier, compostable films
27:47 Meta materials and material agnosticism explained
30:14 Challenges in bringing sustainable packaging to scale
33:48 Focus on staples packaging and other high-impact categories
35:52 Overcoming market and mindset challenges
39:48 Material innovations: biophil platform and bio-based materials
44:11 Key materials: PBAT and downstream solutions
51:08 Future applications and long-term vision
01:01:45 Reflections on growth, aspirations, and impact
01:06:20 What does good garbage mean? Building a community
01:08:15 Closing thoughts and call for eco-entrepreneurs

🎬 Credits
Producer: Tanishka Garg
Video Editor: Sargam Krishna

🌐 Follow & Listen
Vaibhav Anand: https://linkedin.com/in/vaibhav-anand
Bambrew: https://www.bambrew.in/

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
Instagram: @goodgarbagepodcast
LinkedIn: Good Garbage Podcast

💭 Let’s Talk
If you had to redesign packaging from scratch—
Would you choose biodegradable materials, plastic alternatives, or an entirely new system? Why?

Hello, hello!

In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Sandeep Kulkarni, Founder of Kool Earth Solutions and a global expert in sustainable packaging.

With experience spanning PepsiCo’s Advanced Research team, packaging innovation, and circular economy systems, Sandeep brings a rare insider perspective into how materials, business realities, and sustainability intersect.

🎙️ What This Episode Explores
This conversation goes beyond buzzwords like eco-friendly and biodegradable — and dives into the real science, trade-offs, and economics behind packaging materials.
From paper bottles to plastic recycling, molded fiber, and biopolymers, Sandeep explains why there is no perfect material — only better decisions depending on context.

If you’ve ever wondered:
- Can paper really replace plastic?
- Is glass actually more sustainable?
- What happens to your plastic bottle after you throw it away?
This episode answers it — honestly.

🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn
• Why paper packaging isn’t as simple as it seems
• The real difference between plastic, glass, and paper
• How PepsiCo approached packaging innovation
• Why recycling systems matter more than materials
• The truth about bioplastics (PLA, PHA)
• Why molded fiber hasn’t scaled yet
• How barriers (oxygen, moisture) define packaging success
• Why there is no one-size-fits-all solution in sustainability

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sandeep Kulkarni
01:30 Journey into PepsiCo & Advanced Research
04:50 Paper vs Plastic: Benefits & Challenges
07:45 Understanding hermetic sealing
09:40 Glass vs Plastic vs Paper comparison
17:30 Recycling systems: India vs global
21:30 What happens to plastic bottles
23:50 Chemicals in plastics explained
26:00 Evolution of paper packaging
28:40 Molded fiber: potential vs limits
31:30 Designing sustainable packaging
39:30 Why bioplastics struggle to scale
44:30 Starbucks Cup Challenge insights
50:30 Molded fiber cups: challenges
55:30 EPS vs paper debate
58:50 Reality of disposable chai cups
01:01:15 India’s recycled plastic policy
01:04:00 Multi-layer packaging challenges
01:08:00 Real-world failures in sustainable packaging
01:13:00 Designing the “perfect” wrapper
01:19:00 Can paper fully replace plastic?
01:23:00 Future of biopolymers
01:27:00 Purpose behind sustainability work
01:30:30 What gives hope for the future

🎬 Credits
Producer: Tanishka Garg
Video Editor: Sargam Krishna

🌐 Follow & Listen
Sandeep Kulkarni: http://linkedin.com/in/sandeepkulkarni1
KoolEarth Solutions: https://koolearthsolutions.com/

Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts
Instagram: @goodgarbagepodcast
LinkedIn: Good Garbage Podcast
Business/queries: [email protected]

💭 Let’s Talk
If you had to redesign packaging from scratch —
Would you choose paper, plastic, or something entirely new? Why?

Can you eat the packaging instead of throwing it away?

Hello, hello!

In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Naama Nicotara, founder of NakedPak, to explore a radical rethinking of food packaging, one where the wrapper disappears entirely.

From her early inspiration to the material science behind algae-based films, Naama shares the journey of building NakedPak and challenging the very idea of what packaging should be. What began as a response to plastic pollution evolved into a bold innovation that merges food, material science, and design.

This conversation dives into the realities of building a breakthrough sustainability product. From behavioural shifts and market confusion to food safety certifications and scaling production, Naama explains what it truly takes to move from concept to consumer.

Together, Ved and Naama discuss:
• The origin story behind NakedPak
• Why algae became the material of choice
• How edible packaging is developed in the lab
• The science behind taste, shelf life, and food safety
• Consumer psychology and behavioural change
• Market positioning and the blurred line between meal and packaging
• Certifications and regulatory hurdles
• Accessibility, pricing, and commercial viability
• Collaboration and the future of zero waste food systems
• The episode closes with a reflection on what it really means to eliminate waste; not by replacing plastic with another material, but by questioning whether packaging is needed at all.

🎙️ Good Garbage features conversations with founders, scientists, and builders working to leave the planet cleaner — while asking one essential question: What is Good Garbage?

📌Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Naama Nicotara and NakedPak
03:12 The origin story and early inspiration
07:45 Why algae and edible materials?
12:20 Inside the lab: how the packaging is made
18:05 Taste, shelf life, and food safety concerns
24:30 Certifications and regulatory approvals
30:10 Market positioning: meal or packaging innovation
38:45 Pricing and accessibility
44:20 Consumer behaviour and comfort zones
52:15 Challenges in building a breakthrough idea
59:40 Collaboration and industry response
01:07:30 Scaling production and factory vision
01:15:00 The future of edible packaging
01:22:10 What is Good Garbage?

Naama's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naama-nicotra-1b9232174/?originalSubdomain=il 
NakedPak: https://www.nakedpak.com/
NakedPak LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nakedpak/
NakedPak Instagram: https://share.google/n03pqrTXGwcu7z9vv

Producer: Palakshi Aggarwal
Video Producer: Sargam Krishna

📺 Subscribe on YouTube: /@GoodGarbage
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify
📸 Follow on Instagram /@goodgarbagepodcast
📩 Send us your questions: [email protected]

Hello, hello!
In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Dr. Alexey Vishtal, a scientist and industry expert in pulp, paper, and sustainable packaging, to explore thematerial reality behind sustainability.
From growing up in Russia to building his career in Finland, Alexey shares the journey that led him into material science — including a PhD focused on the stretchability of paper and years working inside a global corporation like Nestlé. Along the way, he gained rare insight into how sustainability actually moves (or stalls) inside large systems.
This conversation goes beyond surface-level sustainability narratives and into the physics, constraints, and trade-offs that define packaging today. From water vapor barriers to economic viability, Alexey explains why materials — not intentions — ultimately decide what works.

Together, Ved and Alexey discuss:
Why paper performance is more complex than it seems
What stretchability, barriers, and material limits really mean
How regulation and consumer demand shape sustainability efforts
What working inside Nestlé revealed about innovation at scale
How nature offers clues for better material design
Why collaboration is essential for the future of sustainable packaging

The episode closes with a reflection on good garbage — and what it would take to design materials that truly belong in natural and industrial systems.
🎙️ Good Garbage features conversations with scientists, founders, and builders working to leave the planet cleaner — while asking one essential question: What is #GoodGarbage?

📌 Chapters 
00:00 Introduction to Dr. Alexey Vishtal
03:04 From Russia to Finland: early influences
05:46 Discovering pulp & paper
09:00 The science of paper stretchability
12:10 Inside Nestlé: sustainability at scale
17:56 Regulation, consumers & real change
21:11 India, culture, and perspectives
29:52 Innovation in sustainable packaging
50:06 Why water vapor barriers are so hard
54:13 Learning from nature
01:01:20 The future of sustainable materials
01:24:19 Vision for the future of packaging

Producer: Adriana Sánchez Uebelhoer
Video Producer: Sargam Krishna
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: / @goodgarbage
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotify
📸 Follow on Instagram: / @goodgarbagepodcast

📩 Send us your questions: [email protected]

Hello, hello! In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Neha Jain, Founder & CEO of Zerocircle, to explore how seaweed-based materials could transform the future of sustainable packaging.

Imagine a world where packaging doesn’t end up stranded on beaches, but instead safely dissolves back into nature. That’s the future Neha is working toward.

Neha shares her journey from working at Google to building Zerocirlce, a company focused on developing natural polymer materials from seaweed as an alternative to plastic packaging. This conversation dives deep into material science, the challenges of scaling sustainable packaging solutions, and why true sustainability must work commercially, not just environmentally.

Together, Ved and Neha discuss:
- How seaweed is used to create home-compostable packaging materials
- The science behind natural polymers and plastic alternatives
- Why collaboration is critical in the sustainable materials ecosystem
- What it takes to scale climate-positive solutions globally
- Why “good garbage” means designing systems where waste doesn’t exist

Zerocircle’s vision goes beyond packaging aiming to become a core material provider for manufacturers worldwide, helping reduce plastic waste at scale.
→ Find out more about Zerocirlce: https://www.zerocircle.in/

🎙️ Good Garbage features conversations with founders, scientists, and innovators working to leave the planet cleaner - while asking one essential question: What is #GoodGarbage?

📌 Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Neha Jain and Zero Circle
02:50 Early life, curiosity, and career path
09:24 Entrepreneurship lessons from Flyby Night
15:21 Discovering sustainability and material science
29:57 Founding Zero Circle
54:14 Why seaweed? Properties and potential
01:00:44 Extraction, processing, and scalability
01:10:13 Commercialization challenges
01:22:00 Investors and funding climate solutions
01:30:03 Collaboration in the seaweed ecosystem
01:34:08 The future of sustainable packaging

Neha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehajn/
Zerocircle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zerocircle/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zerocircle_in/

Producer: Adriana Sánchez Uebelhoer
Video Producer: Sargam Krishna
📺 Subscribe on YouTube: / @goodgarbage
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts & Spotif
y📸 Follow on Instagram: / @goodgarbagepodcast
📩 Send us your questions: [email protected]